UNIVERSITY  OF 

KOKTi-J  CA  PUNA 

School  o±   Library 

Science 


THE 


YOUNG  COLONISTS 


By  G.  A.  HENTY, 

Author  of  "Jack  Archer,"  "The  Young  Buglers,"  "The  Boy 
Knight,"  etc.,  etc. 


CHICAGO: 

M.  A.  DONOHUE  &  CO. 

407-429  Dearborn  St. 


CEJUOtt 


-  I 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  paqbs 

ASnow  Drift <      1 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Red  Flag 13> 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Farm 2& 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Outbreak  of  War ,. , 38- 

CHAPTER  V. 
Isandula. , , 5& 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Zlobani 60 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Kambula 8a 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Second  Advance « 94 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Ulundi 108- 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  Trading  Expedition... , 120 

CHAPTER  XI. 
A  Troop  of  Lions 134 

CHAPTER  XII. 
An  Attack  by  Elephants 147 

CHAPTER  XIIL 
J  Brash  with  the  Natives 160 

696747 


iy  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Trapped  in  a  Defile 173 

CHAPTER  XV. 
A  Mountain  Torrent , 185 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
A  Fight  with  the  Boers 198 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
A  Terrible  Journey 208 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Boer  Insurrection 219 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Garrisons  in  the  Transvaal 228 

CHAPTER  XX. 
kaing's  Neck...,- 238 


THE  YOUNG   COLONISTS. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

A     SNOW    DRIFT. 

The  country  round  Castleton,  in  Derbyshire,  is  greatly 
admired  by  summer  tourists,  for  it  lies  in  the  wildest 
part  of  that  county;  but  in  winter  the  wind  whistles 
sharply  over  the  bleak  hills — where  there  are  no  trees  to 
break  its  violence — the  sheep  huddle  under  the  shelter  of 
the  roughly-built  stone  walls,  and  even  lovers  of  the 
picturesque  would  at  that  season  prefer  a  more  level  and 
wooded  country.  The  farm  of  Mr.  Humphreys  was  situ- 
ated about  a  mile  from  Castleton.  It  consisted  of  one 
hundred  acres  or  so  of  good  land  in  the  bottom,  and  of 
five  or  six  times  as  much  upland  grazing  on  the  hills. 
Mr.  Humphreys  owned  as  well  as  farmed  his  land,  and 
so  might  have  claimed,  had  he  chosen,  the  title  of  gen- 
tleman-farmer; but  he  himself  would  have  scoffed  at  such 
an  idea.  He  was  a  hard-working,  practical  farmer,  about 
over  his  ground  from  morning  to  night  save  when  the 
hounds  met  within  easy  distance  in  winter;  then  he 
would  moukt  "Kobin,"  who  served  alike  as  hunter,  or 
hack,  or  to  drive  in  the  neat  dogcart  to  Buxton  market; 
and,  although  there  were  many  handsomer  horses  in  the 
field,  Mr.  Humphreys  was  seldom  far  off  when  the  fox 
was  killed. 

His  faini'y  consisted  of  his  wife  and  two  sons;  the 


2  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

eldest,  Richard,  was  about  fourteen  years  old.  His 
brother,  John,  was  three  years  younger.  Both  went  to 
school  at  Castleton.  The  younger  boy  was  fond  of  hia 
books;  he  had  always  been  weak  and  delicate,  and,  being 
unable  to  spend  his  time  in  active  exercise  out  of  doors, 
he  was  generally  to  be  found  reading  by  the  fire  in  win- 
ter, or  lying  on  the  ground  in  summer  under  a  tree  in 
the  orchard,  with  his  chin  on  his  hand,  and  the  book 
before  him.  Richard  had  no  literary  taste;  he  managed 
to  scrape  through  his  work  and  keep  a  moderate  place  in 
his  class,  somewhere  about  halfway  down;  but  he  threw 
his  whole  heart  into  outdoor  exercise,  and  was  one  of  the 
best  bats  in  the  school,  although  there  were  many  there 
older  by  years.  He  knew  every  foot  of  the  hills,  could 
tell  every  bird  by  its  note,  and  knew  all  about  their  nests 
and  eggs.  Except  in  school,  or  perhaps  during  the  long 
winter  evenings,  it  was  rare  indeed  to  find  Dick  with  a 
book  in  his  hand. 

"You  will  never  set  the  Thames  on  fire,  Dick,"  his 
father  would  say  to  him. 

"I  shall  never  want  to,  father,"  he  would  reply.  "I 
do  not  see  that  learning  will  ever  be  much  good  to  me." 

"That  is  a  foolish  idea,  Dick.  A  great  deal  of  the 
learning  that  boys  get  at  school  is  of  no  actual  value  in 
pounds,  shillings,  and  pence.  It  is  not  the  fact  of  know- 
ing Latin  and  Greek  and  mathematics  which  benefits  a 
man;  but  it  is  the  learning  of  them.  It  is  the  discipline 
to  the  mind  which  is  of  benefit.  The  mind  is  like  the 
body.  There  is  no  use  in  cricket,  or  in  boating,  or  in 
hunting,  but  these  things  strengthen  the  body  and  make 
it  active  and  healthy,  and  able  to  do  better  everything 
which  it  undertakes,  and  it  is  exactly  the  same  thing 
with  the  mind;  besides,  the  days  are  coming  when 
farmers  must  farm  their  land  with  science  and  intelli- 
gence, or  they  will  be  left  behind  in  the  race.    We  are 


TEE  YOUXiG  COLONISTS.  3 

being  rivaled  by  the  farmers  of  America.  Not  only  do 
we  have  to  pay  rent,  but  by  the  tithes  and  rates  and 
taxes  they  put  upon  us  government  makes  the  English 
farmer  pay  a  heavy  tax  upon  every  bushel  of  corn  he  pro- 
duces, while  they  allow  the  American  corn  to  come  into 
the  market  tax-free.  This  may  be  all  right,  but  it  does 
not  appear  fair  to  me.  However,  there  it  is,  and  we 
have  got  to  meet  it,  and  if  we  are  to  keep  our  heads 
above  water,  it  can  only  be  by  farming  up  to  the  very 
best  lights  of  the  day." 

"Well,  father,"  Dick  said,  "then  it  seems  to  me  that 
when  we  grow  up  John  and  I  must  farm  together.  He 
shall  be  the  scientific  partner;  I  will  do  the  work." 

"That  is  all  right  enough,  Dick,  but  you  must  have 
some  science  too,  else  you  and  he  will  never  get  on.  You 
•would  want  to  go  on  in  the  old-fashioned  groove,  and 
•would  call  his  ideas  new-fangled.  No,  I  intend  you, 
when  you  get  old  enough,  to  go  to  Cirencester  College, 
•where  you  will  learn  the  theory  and  science  of  farming 
thoroughly.  You  will  get  the  practical  part  at  home. 
As  to  John,  he  is  a  child  yet,  and,  I  trust,  will  grow  up 
strong  and  active;  but  if  his  tastes  remain  as  they  now 
are,  I  do  not  think  it  likely  he  will  take  to  farming,  and 
we  must  find  some  other  career  for  him." 

One  afternoon  in  the  beginning  of  December  two  of 
Dick's  schoolfellows  said  to  him: 

"We  are  going  over  the  hills  to  our  uncle's  farm, 
Dick.     Will  you  go  with  us?" 

When  there  was  nothing  better  to  do  Dick  was  always 
ready  for  a  walk,  and  he  at  once  agreed  to  accompany 
the  Jacksons.  The  elder  boy  was  about  his  own  age,  the 
younger  two  years  his  junior. 

The  Jacksons  called  for  him  directly  he  had  finished 
his  dinner,  and  they  started  away  together  for  a  farm 
which  was  about  four  miles  distant.     They  struck  right 


4  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

across  the  hills,  as  it  would  have  been  two  miles  longer 
by  the  nearest  road. 

"I  should  not  be  surprised/'  Dick  said,  "if  it  were  to 
snow  to-night;  it  is  bitterly  cold,  and  the  clouds  look 
very  heavy." 

"I  hope  it  won't  snow  until  we  get  back,"  James^,  the 
younger  of  the  brothers,  remarked. 

"I  don't  know,"  Dick  answered,  looking  at  the  clouds. 
"I  should  not  be  surprised  if  it  began  at  any  moment." 

The  wind  was  blowing  strongly.  The  hills  were  high 
and  steep,  and,  although  the  boys  made  their  best  speed, 
it  was  considerably  over  an  hour  before  they  reached  the 
farm.  They  had  started  at  two,  and  it  was  now  a  quar- 
ter past  three.  Mr.  Jackson  was  out.  The  boys  deliv- 
ered the  message  with  which  they  had  been  charged  to 
their  aunt. 

"Now,"  she  said,  "I  will  cut  you  each  a  hunch  of 
cake,  and  when  you  have  eaten  that  and  had  a  glass  of 
fresh  milk  you  had  best  start  at  once.  It  is  bitterly  cold, 
and  we  are  going  to  have  snow.  The  sooner  you  are 
home  the  better." 

The  boys  now  ate  their  cake.  Mrs.  Jackson  came  to 
the  door  with  them.  Then  she  said,  as  the  first  flake  of 
snow  fell: 

"I  am  not  sure,  boys,  that  you  had  not  better  stay  here 
all  night." 

The  boys  laughed. 

"Why,  what  would  they  say  at  home?  They  would 
just  be  in  a  way  about  us." 

"Well,  at  any  rate,  you  had  better  go  by  the  road." 

"Oh,  that  is  two  miles  further  at  least.  We  should 
not  get  home  until  long  after  dark.  We  shan't  be  an 
hour  by  the  hills.     We  know  every  foot  of  the  way." 

"Well,  good-by,  then.  Make  as  much  haste  as  you 
can." 


THE  TOUiWG  COLONISTS.  5 

Fof  half  a  aiile  their  way  led  along  the  road,  then  they 
scrambled  over  a  wall  and  began  to  ascend  the  barren 
hillside.  The  snow  was  falling  fast  now.  Thicker  and 
thicker  it  came  down,  and  when,  hot  and  panting,  they 
reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  the  wind  blew  the  flakes  so 
fiercely  into  their  faces  that  they  were  half-blinded,  and 
were  obliged  to  turn  their  backs  to  the  gale  while  they 
got  breath.  For  half  an  hour  they  struggled  on.  They 
could  scarcely  see  ten  paces  before  them  through  the 
driving  snow,  and  in  every  sheltered  spot  white  patches 
rapidly  began  to  form. 

"How  different  things  look  in  a  snowstorm!"  Dick 
said,  as  they  stopped  for  breath  and  shelter  under  the 
lee  of  a  wall.  "I  don't  know,  Tom,  but  I  am  not  quite 
sure  that  we  are  going  straight;  I  do  not  know  what  wall 
this  is." 

"No  more  do  I,"  Tom  Jackson  replied.  "I  felt  quite 
sure  that  we  were  going  right  at  first,  but  somehow  I 
don't  think  so  now." 

"I  wish  the  snow  would  stop  for  a  minute,"  Dick  said, 
"just  to  let  us  have  a  look  round.  If  I  could  see  a  hun- 
dred yards  I  am  sure  I  should  know  where  we  are. 
What  is  the  matter  with  you,  James;  what  are  you  blub- 
bering about?" 

"My  feet  are  so  cold;  they  hurt  dreadfully." 

"Oh,  never  mind,"  Dick  said.  "Come,  boys,  push 
along,  and'we  shall  soon  be  home." 

Again  they  started  with  heads  bent  to  face  the  storm. 

"It  is  getting  dark  awfully  fast,"  Tom  Jackson  said. 

"It  is,  and  no  mistake.  Come,  let  us  have  a  trot. 
Come  on,  young  one." 

But  although  Dick  spoke  hopefully,  he  was  not  as 
confident  as  he  appeared.  He  was  sure  now  that,  they 
had  lost  the  way.  They  might  not,  he  hoped,  be  far  off 
the  track;  but  he  knew  that  they  were  not  following  the 
precise  line  by  which  they  came. 


6  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

It  was  now  nearly  dark.  The  snow  was  fai:..^  thicker 
than  ever,  and  the  ground,  except  upon  the  uplands 
exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the  wind,  was  covered  with  a 
white  mantle. 

On  arriving  at  the  bottom  of  a  steep  hill  they  stopped 
again. 

"Do  you  know  where  we  are,  Tom?" 

"Not  in  the  least,"  Tom  answered. 

"This  ought  to  be  the  last  valley,"  Dick  said,  "and 
after  one  more  climb  we  ought  to  go  straight  down  into 
Castleton.  Don't  you  remember  in  that  valley  there 
were  a  lot  of  sheep  in  a  fold,  with  a  wall  round  it?  If 
we  can  find  that  we  shall  know  that  we  are  right.  It  is 
near  the  bottom,  so  we  shall  not  miss  it.  Which  way 
shall  we  turn — left  or  right?" 

"Let  us  try  the  left  first,"  Tom  said. 

They  walked  for  half  a  mile,  gradually  ascending. 

"It  is  not  this  way,"  Tom  said  at  last.  "We  are  get- 
ting to  the  head  of  the  valley.  What  are  you  doing, 
James?"  as  the  young  boy,  who  had  been  sobbing  for 
some  time,  threw  himself  on  the  snow. 

"I  cannot  go  any  further,"  he  murmured.  "I  am  so 
cold,  and  so  tired,  and  so  sleepy." 

"Oh,  nonsense!"  Dick  said.  "Here,  take  hold  of  his 
arm,  Tom,  and  lift  him  up;  give  him  a  good  shake;  he 
must  go  on;  he  would  die  if  he  stopped  here." 

The  two  lads  raised  the  younger  boy,  and  half-support- 
ing, half-dragging  him,  turned  and  retraced  their  foot- 
steps. 

It  was  pitch  dark  now,  and  they  could  not  see  a  yard 
before  them.     For  some  time  they  continued  their  way. 

"There  is  no  shepherd's  hut.     Certainly,  this  is  not 
the  valley.     What  on  earth  are  we  to  do?" 
"I  don't  know,"  Tom  said,  beginning  to  cry. 
"Shut  up,   Tom  Jackson.     What   are  you  thinking 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  7 

about?  This  is  no  time  for  howling  like  a  baby;  you' 
have  got  to  think  of  what  is  best  to  do.  It  is  no  use 
climbing  the  next  hill,  for  we  might  be  going  away  from 
home,  instead  of  getting  nearer.  Besides,  we  should 
have  to  haul  Jimmy  up,  for  he  can  scarcely  stand  now; 
and,  although  it  is  bitterly  cold  here,  it  would  be  worse 
on  the  top  of  the  hill.  No,  We  have  got  to  stop  here  all 
night,  that  is  clear." 

"We  shall  be  dead  before  morning!"  Tom  roared. 

"I  will  hit  you  in  the  eye,  Tom  Jackson,  if  you  don't 
shut  up;  you  are  as  bad  as  a  girl;  I  am  ashamed  of  you. 
Now,  what  we  have  got  to  do  is  to  find  some  sort  of 
shelter,  either  a  wall  or  bush,  and  we  must  keep  on  until 
we  come  to  something.  JKeep  awake,  Jimmy;  we  shan't 
have  much  further  to  go,  and  then  you  can  lie  down 
quietly." 

They  went  on  for  a  bit. 

"It  is  no  use,"  Dick  said.  "They  don't  put  walls 
across  bottoms;  more  likely  to  find  one  either  to  the 
right  or  left.  Now,  Tom,  you  stop  here  for  a  minute  or 
two,  and  I  will  look  about;  you  keep  shouting  every 
minute,  so  that  I  can  find  my  way  back  to  you." 

Turning  off,  he  began  to  ascend  the  next  hill,  and  in 
two  or  three  minutes  shouted  the  glad  news  to  Tom  that 
he  had  found  the  wall;  then  he  returned. 

Jimmy,  cheered  at  the  prospect  of  lying  down,  made 
an  effort,  and  they  soon  reached  the  wall. 

Like  most  of  the  walls  in  Derbyshire,  it  wa^;  formed  of 
flat  stones  laid  without  mortar,  some  four  feet  high. 

"Now,  Tom,  set  to  work;  get  some  stones  off  the  wall 
on  both  sides,  and  build  up  two  other  walls  against  this; 
three  feet  wide  inside  will  do,  and  just  long  enough  to 
lie  in.  Here,  Jimmy,  you  help;  it  will  keep  you  awake, 
and,  you  see,  the  higher  we  make  the  walls  the  snugger 
it  will  be;  we  will  have  quite  a  nice  house." 


8  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

The  boys  all  set  to  work,  and  in  half  an  hour  three 
walls  were  built.  At  the  point  where  the  two  side  walls 
touched  the  other  they  were  three  feet  high,  and  sloped 
down  to  two  at  the  lower  end. 

"Now,  Jimmy,  you  chuck  the  snow  out.  Tom  and  I 
will  go,  one  each  way,  along  the  wall;  likely  enough  we 
may  come  upon  some  bushes — they  often  grow  in  shelter 
of  the  walls:  if  we  can  find  a  few  sticks  we  will  cover  the 
house  over.  Lots  of  these  stones  are  a  couple  of  feet 
long,  and  we  will  manage  a  sort  of  roof.  The  snow  will 
soon  cover  it,  and  we  shall  be  as  warm  as  possible." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  two  boys  returned;  both 
had  been  successful  and  brought  a  bundle  of  sticks; 
these  were  laid  across  the  top,  interspersed  with  smaller 
twigs,  the  ends  being  kept  down  with  stones  to  prevent 
their  being  blown  away.  The  last  were  placed  in  posi- 
tion after  the  boys  had  crept  inside.  They  did  not  at- 
tempt to  roof  it  with  stones,  for  the  supply  of  sticks  and 
brushwood  was  large  enough  to  catch  the  snowflakes  as 
they  fell,  and  these  would  soon  form  a  covering,  while  it 
would  have  been  difficult  to  balance  the  stones. 

Jimmy  was  by  this  time  in  a  state  almost  of  lethargy; 
but  the  others  were  fairly  warm  from  their  exertions. 
They  now  lay  down  close  beside  the  younger  boy,  one  on 
each  side.     At  first  they  felt  the  cold  extremely. 

"Let  us  keep  awake  as  long  as  we  can,"  Dick  said. 

"I  don't  feel  inclined  to  sleep  at  all,"  Tom  answered; 
"my  hands  and  feet  feel  frozen,  but  I  am  warm  enough 
everywhere  else,  and  the  ground  is  precious  hard  and 
bumpy." 

"I  am  only  afraid  about  Jimmy,"  Dick  said;  "he  is 
sound  asleep,  and  he  was  so  awfully  cold;  lie  as  close  as 
you  can  to  him,  Tom,  and  put  your  arm  over  him  and 
keep  your  legs  huddled  up  against  his." 

"It  feels  warmer  than  it  did,"  he  went  on,  after  a 
pause  of  half  an  hour;  "don't  you  think  so,  Tom?" 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  9 

"a  lot  warmer,"  Tom  said.  "I  expect  the  snow  has 
made  a  good  thick  roof." 

"Yes,  and  the  wind  does  not  blow  through  the  stones 
as  it  did.  I  expect  the  snow  is  drifting  up  all  round;  it 
was  getting  very  deep  against  the  wall  when  we  got  in, 
and  if  it  goes  on  all  night,  Tom,  I  should  not  wonder  if 
we  are  covered  deep  before  morning.  The  wind  always 
sweeps  it  off  the  hills,  and  makes  deep  drifts  in  the 
bottoms." 

" What  shall  we  do,  then?" 

"I  don't  know,"  Dick  answered;  "but  there  will  be 
plenty  of  time  to  think  of  that  in  the  morning.  I  think 
Jimmy  is  all  right,  Tom;  I  have  just  put  my  hand  inside 
his  waistcoat  and  he  feels  quite  warm  now.  Say  your 
prayers,  and  then  let  us  try  to  get  off  to  sleep." 

This  they  were  not  very  long  in  doing,  for  the  air  in 
the  little  hut  was  soon  heated  by  the  action  of  their 
bodies.  Outside  the  storm  was  still  raging,  and  the 
wind,  laden  with  swirling  snow  from  the  uplands,  was 
piling  it  high  in  the  valleys.  Already  the  hut  was 
covered,  and  the  wall  behind  it. 

All  night  and  all  next  day  the  snow  continued  to  fall; 
the  next  day,  and  the  next,  it  kept  on.  Old  folks  down 
in  Castleton  said  they  never  remembered  such  a  storm. 
It  lay  three  feet  deep  in  the  fields,  and  there  was  no  say- 
ing how  deep  the  drifts  might  be  in  the  hollows.  For 
the  first  two  days  the  wind  had  tried  its  best  to  keep  the 
hills  clear,  but  it  had  tired  of  the  work,  and  for  the  last 
two  had  ceased  to  blow,  and  the  great  feathered  flakes 
formed  steadily  and  silently. 

Tom  was  the  first  to  wake. 

"Halloo!"  he  exclaimed,  "where  are  we?  Oh!  I  re- 
member.    Dick,  are  you  awake?" 

"Yes,  I  am  awake  now,"  Dick  said.  "What  is  it?  It 
is  not  morning  yet.     I  seem  to  have  been  asleep  a  long 


10  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

time,  a*id  don't  my  bones  fust  ache?  Jimmy,  old  boy, 
are  you  all  right?" 

"Yes,"  Jimmy  grunted. 

"It  is  quite  warm,"  Dick  said.  "It  feels  very  close, 
and  how  still  it  is!  The  wind  has  quite  gone  down.  Do 
you  know,  Tom,  I  think  it  must  be  morning.  There 
seems  a  faint  sort  of  light.  I  can  see  the  stones  in  the 
wall  behind  you." 

"So  it  must,"  Tom  assented.  "Oh!  how  stifling  it 
is!"  and  he  raised  himself  into  a  sitting  position. 

"I  am  afraid  we  are  buried  deep  in  the  snowdrift. 
Put  your  hand  up,  Tom;  don't  you  feel  some  of  these 
sticks  are  bent  in  the  middle?" 

"Ever  so  much;  there  must  be  a  great  weight  on  them. 
What  are  we  to  do,  Dick — shall  we  try  and  dig  a  way 
out?" 

"That  will  be  no  good,"  Dick  answered;  "not  if  it  is 
deep;  and  if  it  has  been  snowing  all  night  there  is  no 
saying  how  deep  it  may  be  this  morning  down  in  this 
bottom.  This  drift-snow  is  like  dust.  I  remember  last 
winter  that  Bill  Jones  and  Harry  Austin  and  I  tried  to 
make  a  tunnel  in  a  deep  drift,  but  the  snow  fell  in  as  fast 
as  we  scraped  it  away.     It  was  just  like  dry  sand." 

"We  are  all  right  for  warmth,"  Tom  said;  "but  it 
feels  quite  stifling." 

"Yes,  we  must  try  and  get  some  air,"  Dick  said. 
"The  roof-sticks  are  close  together  down  at  our  feet. 
There  were  three  or  four  left  over  when  we  had  finished, 
so  we  can  take  them  away  without  weakening  the  roof. 
We  might  shove  one  of  them  up  through  the  snow." 

The  sticks  were  removed  carefully,  but  a  quantity  of 
fine  snow  fell  in  on  their  feet.  One  was  then  shoved  up 
through  the  top,  but  the  only  effect,  when  it  was  re- 
moved, was  that  it  was  followed  by  some  snow  powder- 
ing down  on  their  faces. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  11 

"Let  us  tie  four  of  them  together,"  Dick  said.  "I 
lave  plenty  of  string  in  my  pocket." 

This  was  done,  fresh  sticks  being  tied  to  the  bottom 
as  the  first  were  shoved  up  through  the  snow. 

"Now,  Tom,  help  me  to  work  it  about  a  bit,  so  as  to 
press  the  snow  all  round,  and  make  a  sort  of  tube." 

For  some  time  a  shower  of  little  particles  fell  as  they 
worked,  but  gradually  these  ceased.  Then  the  stick  was 
cautiously  lowered,  being  untied  joint  by  joint,  and  look- 
ing up  the  boys  gave  a  shout  of  pleasure.  At  the  top  of 
the  hole,  which  was  some  six  inches  wide  at  the  bottom, 
was  a  tiny  patch  of  light. 

"We  have  only  just  reached  the  top,"  Dick  said;  "the 
snow  must  be  near  fifteen  feet  deep." 

Small  though  the  aperture  was,  it  effected  a  sensible 
relief.  The  feeling  of  oppression  ceased;  half  an  hour 
later  the  hole  was  closed  up,  and  they  knew  that  the 
snow  was  still  falling. 

Another  length  of  stick  was  added,  and  the  daylight 
again  appeared. 

The  boys  slept  a  good  deal;  they  had  no  sensation  of 
cold  whatever,  the  heat  of  their  bodies  keeping  the  air  at 
a  comfortable  temperature.  They  did  not  feel  so  hungry 
as  they  expected,  but  they  were  very  thirsty. 

"I  shall  eat  some  snow,"  Tom  said. 

"I  have  heard  that  that  makes  you  more  thirsty, "  Dick 
remarked;  "hold  some  in  your  hands  till  it  melts,  and 
then  sip  the  water." 

Four  days  passed;  then  they  found  that  the  snow  no 
longer  continued  to  cover  up  the  hole,  and  knew  that  the 
snowstorm  had  ceased.  The  number  of  sticks  required 
to  reach  the  top  was  six,  and  as  each  of  these  was  about 
four  feet  long  they  knew  that,  making  allowance  for  the 
joints,  the  snow  was  over  twenty  feet  deep. 

Very  often  the  boys  talked  of  home,  and  wondered 


12  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

what  their  friends  were  doing.  The  first  night,  when 
they  did  not  return,  it  would  be  hoped  that  they  had 
stayed  at  the  farm;  but  somebody  would  be  sure  to  go 
over  in  the  morning  to  see,  and  when  the  news  arrived 
that  they  were  missing,  there  would  be  a  general  turn 
out  to  find  them. 

"They  must  have  given  up  all  hope  by  this  time/' 
Dick  said,  on  the  fifth  morning,  "and  must  be  pretty 
sure  that  we  are  buried  in  the  drift  somewhere;  but,  as 
all  the  bottoms  will  be  like  this,  they  will  have  given  up 
all  hopes  of  finding  our  bodies  till  the  thaw  comes." 

"That  may  be  weeks,"  Tom  said;  "we  might  as  well 
have  died  at  once." 

"We  can  live  a  long  time  here,"  Dick  replied  confi- 
dently. "I  remember  reading  once  of  a  woman  who  had 
been  buried  in  the  snow  being  got  out  alive  a  tremendous 
time  afterward.  I  think  it  was  five  weeks,  but  it  might 
have  been  more.     Hurrah!  I  have  got  an  idea,  Tom." 

"What  is  that?"  Tom  asked. 

"Look  here;  we  will  tie  three  more  sticks " 

"We  can't  spare  any  more  sticks,"  Tom  said;  "the 
snow  is  up  to  our  knees  already." 

"Ah!  but  thin  sticks  will  do  for  this,"  Dick  said;  "we 
can  get  some  thin  sticks  out  here.  We  will  tie  them 
ever  the  others,  and  on  the  top  of  all  we  will  fasten  my 
red  pocket-handkerchief,  like  a  flag;  if  any  one  comes 
down  into  this  bottom  they  are  sure  to  see  it." 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  13 


CHAPTEE  II. 

THE     RED     FLAG. 

Dick's  plan  was  soon  carried  into  effect,  and  the  little 
red  flag  flew  as  an  appeal  for  help  ten  feet  above  the 
snow  in  the  lonely  valley. 

Down  in  Oastleton  events  had  turned  out  just  as  the 
boys  had  anticipated.  The  night  of  the  snowstorm 
there  was  no  sleep  for  their  parents,  and  at  daybreak 
next  morning  Mr.  Humphreys  and  Mr.  Jackson  set  out 
on  foot  through  the  storm  for  the  distant  farm.  They 
kept  to  the  road,  but  it  took  them  four  hours  to  reach 
the  farm,  for  the  drifts  were  many  feet  deep  in  the  hol- 
lows, and  they  had,  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  their 
way  through. 

When,  upon  their  arrival,  they  found  the  boys  had  left 
before  the  gale  began,  their  consternation  and  grief  were 
extreme,  and  they  started  at  once  on  their  return  to 
Castleton. 

Search'  parties  were  immediately  organized,  and  these, 
in  spite  of  the  fury  of  the  storm,  searched  the  hills  in  all 
directions. 
5  After  the  first  day,  when  it  was  found  that  they  "were 
f  not  at  any  of  the  shepherds'  huts  scattered  among  the 
hills,  all  hopes  of  finding  them  alive  ceased.  So  hopeless 
was  it  considered  that  few  parties  went  out  on  the  three 
following  days;  but  on  the  fifth,  when  the  snowstorm 
ceased  and  the  sun  shone  out,  numbers  of  men  again 
tramped  the  hills  in  the  vague  hope  of  finding  some  sign 


14  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

of  the  missing  boys;  they  returned  disheartened.  The 
snow  was  two  feet  deep  everywhere,  twenty  in  many  of 
the  hollows. 

The  next  day  but  few  went  out,  for  the  general  feeling 
was  that  the  bodies  could  not  be  discovered  until  the 
thaw  came,  and  at  present  it  was  freezing  sharply. 

Among  those  who  still  kept  up  the  search  were  several 
of  the  boys'  schoolfellows.  They  had  not  been  per- 
mitted to  join  while  the  snowstorm  continued,  and  were 
therefore  fresh  at  the  work.  A  party  of  four  kept  to- 
gether, struggling  through  the  deep  snowdrifts,  climb- 
ing up  the  hills,  and  enjoying  the  fun,  in  spite  of  the 
saddening  nature  of  their  errand. 

On  arriving  at  the  brow  of  a  deep  valley  five  miles 
from  home,  they  agreed  that  they  would  go  no  further, 
as  it  was  not  likely  that  the  missing  boys  could  have 
wandered  so  far  from  their  track.  That  they  had  in 
fact  done  so  was  due  to  a  sudden  change  in  the  direction 
of  the  wind;  it  had  been  driving  in  their  faces  when  they 
started,  and  with  bent  down  heads  they  had  struggled 
against  it,  unconscious  that  it  was  sharply  changing  its 
direction. 

"Just  let  us  have  a  look  down  into  the  bottom,"  one 
of  the  boys  said;  "there  may  be  a  shepherd's  hut  here." 

Nothing,  however,  was  seen,  save  a  smooth,  white 
surface  of  snow. 

"What  is  that?"  one  exclaimed  suddenly.  "Look, 
there  is  a  little  red  flag  flying  down  there — come  along." 

The  boys  rushed  down  the  hill  at  full  speed. 

"Don't  all  go  near  the  flag,"  one  said;  "you  may  be 
treading  on  their  bodies." 

They  arrived  within  ten  yards  of  the  flag,  in  which 
they  soon  recognized  a  red  pocket-handkerchief.  They 
were  silent  now,  awe-struck  at  the  thought  that  their 
companions  were  lying  dead  beneath. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  15 

"Perhaps  it  is  not  theirs/'  the  eldest  of  the  party  said 
presently.  "Anyhow  I  had  better  take  it  off  and  carry  it 
home." 

Treading  cautiously  and  with  a  white  face,  for  he 
feared  to  feel  beneath  his  feet  one  of  the  bodies  of  his 
friends,  he  stepped,  knee-deep  in  the  snowdrift,  to  the 
flag.  He  took  the  little  stick  in  his  hand  to  pluck  it  up; 
he  raised  it  a  foot,  and  then  gave  a  cry  of  astonishment 
and  started  back. 

"'What  is  the  matter?"  the  others  asked. 

"It  was  pulled  down  again,"  he  said  in  awe-struck 
tones.     "I  will  swear  it  was  pulled  down  again." 

"Oh,  nonsense!"  one  of  the  others  said;  "you  are 
dreaming." 

"I  am  not,"  the  first  replied  positively;  "it  was  regu- 
larly jerked  in  my  hand." 

"Can  they  be  alive  down  there?"  one  suggested. 

"Alive!  How  can  they  be  alive  after  five  days,  twenty 
feet  deep  in  the  snow?    Look  at  the  flag!" 

There  was  no  mistake  this  time;  the  flag  was  raised 
and  lowered  five  or  six  times.  The  boys  took  to  their 
heels  and  ran  and  gathered  in  a  cluster  fifty  yards  away 
on  the  hillside. 

"What  can  it  be?"  they  asked,  looking  in  each  others' 
pale  faces. 

The  behavior  of  the  flag  seemed  to  them  something 
supernatural. 

"We  had  better  go  back  and  tell  them  at  home,"  one 
of  them  said. 

"We  can't  do  that;  no  one  would  believe  us.  Look 
here,  you  fellows,"  and  he  glanced  round  at  the  bright 
sky,  "this  is  nonsense;  the  flag  could  not  wave  of  itself; 
there  must  be  somebody  alive  below;  perhaps  there  is  a 
shepherd's  hut  quite  covered  with  the  drift,  and  they 
liave  pushed  the  flag  up  through  the  chimney." 


16  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

The  supposition  seemed  a  reasonable  one,  and  a  little 
ashamed  of  their  panic  the  group  returned  toward  the 
flag.     The  eldest  boy  again  approached  it. 

"Go  carefully,  Tomkins,  or  you  may  fall  right  down  a 
chimney. " 

The  flag  was  still  continuing  its  up  and  down  move- 
ment; the  boy  approached  and  lay  down  on  the  snow 
close  to  it;  then  he  took  hold  of  the  stick;  he  felt  a  pull, 
but  held  fast;  then  he  put  his  mouth  close  to  the  hole, 
two  or  three  inches  in  diameter,  through  which  it  passed. 

"Halloo!"  he  shouted;  "is  any  one  below?" 

A  cry  of  "Yes,  yes,"  came  back  in  reply.  "The  two 
Jacksons  and  Humphreys." 

"Hurrah!"  he  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  and  his 
companions,  although  they  had  not  heard  the  answer, 
joined  in  the  cheer. 

"Are  you  all  right?"  he  shouted  down  again. 

"Yes,  but  please  get  help  and  dig  us  out." 

"All  right;  I  will  run  all  the  way  back;  they  will  have 
men  here  in  no  time;  good-by;  keep  up  your  spirits." 

"They  are  all  there  below!"  he  shouted  to  his  friends. 
"Come  on,  you  fellows,  there  is  not  a  moment  to  lose." 

"Wild  with  excitement  the  boys  made  their  way  home; 
they  rushed  down  the  hillsides,  scrambled  through  the 
drifts  in  the  bottoms,  in  which  they  sometimes  disap- 
peared altogether,  and  had  to  haul  each  other  out,  strug- 
gled up  the  hills,  and,  panting  and  breathless,  rushed  in 
a  body  into  Mr.  Humphreys'  farmhouse,  that  standing 
nearest  to  them,  on  their  way  to  Castleton. 

"We  have  found  them;  we  have  found  them,"  they 
panted  out.     "They  are  all  alive." 

Mrs.  Humphrey  had  risen  from  her  seat  in  a  chair  by 
the  fire  as  the  boys  entered,  and  uttering  a  faint  cry  fell 
back  insensible. 

At  this  moment  the  farmer,  who  had  but  five  minutes 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  Yl 

before  returned,  having  been  out  since  daybreak  on  the 
hills,  hurried  into  the  room;  he  was  taking  off  his  heavy 
boots  when  he  heard  the  rush  of  feet  into  the  house. 
"We  have  found  them,  sir;  they  are  all  alive!" 

"Thank  God!  thank  God!"  the  farmer  exclaimed  rev- 
erently, and  then  seeing  his  wife  insensible  hurried 
toward  her,  uttering  a  shout  for  the  servants.  Two 
women  ran  in.  "Look  to  your  mistress,"  he  said;  "she 
has  fainted;  the  good  news  has  been  too  much  for  her — 
the  boys  are  found  alive." 

With  mingled  exclamations  of  gladness  and  dismay  the 
servants  raised  their  mistress. 

"Now,  boys,  where  are  they?"  Mr.  Humphreys  asked. 

The  lads  gave  a  rapid  narrative  of  what  had  happened. 

"Under  the  snow  all  this  time!"  the  farmer  exclaimed; 
"they  must  be,  as  you  say,  in  a  hut.  Now,  will  one  of 
you  stay  and  show  me  the  way  back,  and  the  others  go 
on  to  Mr.  Jackson's  and  other  places,  and  bring  a  strong 
party  of  men  with  shovels  on  after  us?" 

The  lad  who  had  spoken  with  the  prisoners  remained 
to  act  as  guide,  the  others  hurried  off. 

"Come  with  me,  my  boy,  into  the  larder.  There,  help 
yourself;  you  must  be  hungry  and  tired,  and  you  have 
got  to  do  it  over  again." 

Mr.  Humphreys  then  ran  into  the  yard,  and  bade  the 
four  laborers  provide  themselves  with  shovels  and  pre- 
pare to  accompany  him  at  once. 

He  then  went  back  into  the  parlor.  His  wife  was  just 
opening  her  eyes;  for  a  time  she  looked  confused  and 
bewildered,  then  suddenly  she  sat  up  and  gazed  beseech- 
ingly  at  her  husband — memory  had  come  back  to  her. 

"Yes,  wife,  thanks  be  to  God,  it  is  true — the  boys  are 
alive;  I  am  just  going  with  these  men  to  dig  them  out. 
They  are  snowed  up  in  a  hut.  Now,  Jane,  get  a  large 
basket,  and  put  in  it  lots  of  bread  and  bacon — the  men 


18  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

who  are  working  will  want  something;  fill  the  largest 
stone  jar  with  beer;  put  in  a  bottle  of  brandy  and  a  bot- 
tle of  milk,  and  set  to  and  get  some  soup  ready;  bring 
three  small  mattresses  downstairs  and  a  lot  of  blankets." 
Five  minutes  later  the  search-party  started,  Mr.  Hum- 
phreys and  the  guide  leading  the  way;  the  men  followed, 
one  carrying  five  shovels;  another,  the  basket  and  jar; 
the  other  two,  three  hurdles  on  which  were  placed  the 
mattresses  and  blankets. 

It  was  no  easy  matter  so  laden  making  their  way  over 
the  hills  and  through  the  deep  drifts.  Mr.  Humphreys 
took  his  share  of  the  labor;  but  it  was  two  hours  from 
the  time  when  they  started  before  they  arrived  at  the 
spot  where  the  flag  was  waving,  and  the  night  was  already 
closing  in. 

Mr.  Humphreys  hurried  forward  to  the  flag;  he  knelt 
down  beside  it. 

"Are  you  still  alive,  Dick? — it  is  I,  your  father!" 
"Yes,  father,  we  are  all  alive,  and  we  shall  be  all  right 
now  you  have  come.     Don't  get  too  near  the  stick;  we 
are  afraid  of  the  hole  closing  up,  and  smothering  us." 

"Which  side  is  the  door,"  Mr.  Humphreys  asked,  "so 
that  we  can  dig  that  way?" 

"There  is  no  door,  father;  but  you  had  better  dig 
from  below,  because  of  the  wall." 

"There  must  be  a  door,"  Mr.  Humphreys  said  to  him- 
self, as  he  rejoined  the  men.  "There  can't  be  a  hut 
without  a  door;  Dick  must  be  a  little  light-headed,  and 
no  wonder.  Now,  lads,  let  us  set  to  work  from  below." 
The  five  men  were  soon  at  work,  throwing  aside  the 
snow.     In  a  short  time  the  other  parties  arrived. 

Mr.  Humphreys  had  brought  with  him  a  stock  of 
candles.  These  were  lit  and  stuck  in  the  snow,  where, 
as  there  was  no  wind,  they  burned  steadily,  affording  suf- 
ficient light  for  the  search.     The  work  was  all  the  more 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  19 

difficult  from  the  lightness  of  the  snow,  as  the  sides  fell 
in  like  sand  as  they  worked  upon  it,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  make  a  very  broad  cutting. 

At  last  there  was  a  cheer,  as  they  struck  the  ground. 

"Now,  working  uphill  we  must  be  at  the  hut  in  a  few 
feet." 

Twenty  willing  hands  labored  away  incessantly,  but  to 
their  surprise  no  hut  was  met  with;  they  worked  and 
worked,  throwing  the  snow  behind  them,  until  Mr.  Jack- 
son struck  his  shovel  upon  something  hard. 

"Here  is  a  wall  or  something,"  he  said. 

Another  minute  uncovered  a  low  wall  of  two  feet  in 
height,  and  directly  afterward  a  leg  was  popped  up 
through  the  snow.     A  loud  cheer  broke  from  the  men. 

But  again  the  snowdrift  fell  in  from  the  sides,  and  it 
was  another  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  lads  were 
lifted  from  the  narrow  shelter  where  they  had  for  five 
days  lain. 

The  Jacksons  were  too  weak  to  stand,  but  Dick  was 
just  able  to  keep  on  his  feet.  A  cup  of  milk  mixed  with 
some  brandy  was  given  to  each.  Then  Dick  in  a  few 
words  told  the  story,  and  the  surprise  of  all,  as  they 
examined  the  little  hut  and  heard  the  details  of  the 
almost  miraculous  preservation  of  the  boys,  was  almost 
unbounded. 

They  were  now  wrapped  in  blankets  and  laid  on  mat- 
tresses placed  on  the  hurdles;  the  contents  of  the  baskets 
— for  others  besides  Mr.  Humphreys  had  brought  a  stock 
of  provisions,  not  knowing  how  long  the  search-party 
might  be  engaged — were  distributed  among  the  workers, 
and  then  four  men  lifted  each  hurdle  and  the  party 
started  for  home,  a  messenger  having  been  sent  back  at 
full  speed  directly  the  boys  were  got  out,  to  bear  the  glad 
news  to  Castleton. 

It  was  just  midnight  when  the  main  body  returned. 


20  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

A  second  cup  of  brandy  and  milk  had  done  much  to 
revive  the  two  elder  boys/ and  Dick  had  been  able  to  eat 
a  piece  of  bread,  James,  however,  had  fallen  asleep 
directly  he  was  wrapped  in  the  blankets,  and  did  not 
awake  until  he  was  set  down  at  his  father's  door. 

At  both  houses  doctors  were  in  waiting  for  their 
arrival.  Dick  was  at  once  pronounced  to  be  none  the 
worse  for  his  adventure,  except  that  his  feet  were  frost- 
bitten from  long  contact  with  the  snow;  indeed  had  it 
not  been  from  this  cause  he  could,  on  the  following  day, 
have  been  up  and  about.  As  it  was,  in  a  fortnight  he 
was  perfectly  himself  again. 

Tom  Jackson  was  confined  to  the  house  for  many 
weeks;  he  lost  several  of  his  toes,  but  eventually  became 
strong  and  hearty  again.  James,  however,  never  recov- 
ered— the  shock  to  his  system  had  been  too  great;  he 
lingered  on  for  some  months,  and  then  sank  quietly  and 
painlessly. 

The  events  of  the  snowstorm  left  a  far  deeper  trace 
upon  Mrs.  Humphreys  than  upon  her  son.  The  terrible 
anxiety  of  those  five  days  had  told  greatly  upon  her,  and 
after  they  were  over  she  seemed  to  lose  strength  rapidly. 
She  had  never  been  very  strong,  and  a  hacking  cough 
now  constantly  shook  her.  The  doctor  who  attended  her 
looked  serious,  and  one  day  said  to  Mr.  Humphreys: 

"I  don't  like  the  state  of  your  wife;  she  has  always 
been  weak  in  her  lungs,  and  I  fear  that  the  anxiety  she 
went  through  has  somehow  accentuated  her  former 
tendency  to  consumption.  The  air  of  this  place — you 
see  she  was  born  in  the  south — is  too  keen  for  her.  If  I 
were  you  I  would  take  her  up  to  London  and  consult 
some  first-rate  man  in  lung  diseases,  and  get  his  opinion.'" 

The  next  day  Mr.  Humphreys  started  for  London. 
The  celebrated  physician  examined  his  wife,  and  after- 
ward took  him  aside. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  21 

"I  cannot  conceal  from  you,"  he  said,  "that  your 
wife's  lungs  are  very  seriously  affected,  although  con- 
sumption has  not  yet  thoroughly  set  in.  If  she  remains 
in  this  country  she  may  not  live  many  months;  your  only 
hope  is  to  take  her  abroad — could  you  do  that?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  Mr.  Humphreys  said.  "I  can  take  her 
anywhere.     Where  would  you  advise?" 

"She  would  benefit  from  a  residence  either  in  Egypt 
or  Madeira,"  the  doctor  said;  "but  for  a  permanency  I 
should  say  the  Cape.  I  have  known  many  complete 
cures  made  there.  You  tell  me  that  you  are  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits;  if  it  is  possible  for  you  to  settle 
there,  I  can  give  you  every  hope  of  saving  her  life,  as  the 
disease  is  not  yet  developed.  If  you  go,  don't  stay  in 
the  lowlands,  but  get  up  into  the  high  plateaus,  either 
behind  the  Cape  itself,  or  behind  Natal.  The  climate 
there  is  delicious,  and  land  cheap." 

Mr.  Humphreys  thanked  him  and  left,  returning  the 
next  day  to  Castleton.  The  astonishment  of  the  boys, 
and  indeed  of  Mrs.  Humphreys,  was  unbounded,  when 
the  farmer  announced  in  the  evening  at  supper  that  he 
intended  to  sell  his  land  and  emigrate  at  once  to  the 
Cape. 

The  boys  were  full  of  excitement  at  the  new  and 
strange  idea,  and  asked  numerous  questions,  none  of 
which  the  farmer  could  answer;  but  he  brought  out  a 
pile  of  books,  which  he  had  purchased  in  town,  concern- 
ing the  colonies  and  their  resources,  and  for  once  Dick's 
aversion  to  books  vanished,  and  he  was  soon  as  much 
absorbed  as  his  brother  in  the  perusal  of  the  accounts  of 
the  new  land  to  which  they  were  to  go. 

On  the  following  Saturday,  to  the  surprise  of  all  Cas- 
tleton, an  advertisement  appeared  in  the  Derbyshire 
paper  announcing  the  sale  by  auction  at  an  early  date  of 
Mr.  Humphreys'  farm. 


22  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Dick  and  John  were  quite  heroes  among  their  com- 
panions, who  looked  with  envy  at  boys  who  were  going 
to  live  in  a  land  where  lions  and  elephants  and  all  sorts 
of  wild  beasts  abounded,  to  say  nothing  of  warlike 
natives. 

"There  always  seem  to  be  Kaffir  wars  going  on,"  one 
boy  said,  "out  at  the  Cape;  you  will  have  all  sorts  of 
excitement,  Dick."  ' 

"I  don't  think  that  sort  of  excitement  will  bo  nice," 
Dick  replied;  "it  must  be  horribly  anxious  work  to  think 
every  time  you  go  out  to  work  that  the  place  may  be 
attacked  and  every  one  killed  before  you  get  back.  But 
that  is  all  nonsense,  you  know;  I  have  been  reading 
about  some  of  the  Kaffir  wars;  they  are  in  the  bush- 
country,  down  by  the  sea.  We  are  going  up  on  to  the 
high  lands  at  the  back  of  Natal.  Father  says  very  likely 
we  may  buy  a  farm  in  the  Transvaal,  but  mother  does 
not  seem  to  like  the  accounts  of  the  Dutchmen  or  Boers, 
as  they  are  called,  who  live  there,  and  says  she  would 
rather  have  English  neighbors;  so  I  expect  if  we  can  get 
a  farm  somewhere  in  the  Natal  colony,  we  shall  do  so." 

"You  seem  to  know  all  about  the  place,"  the  boy  said, 
surprised. 

"Well,  we  have  had  seven  or  eight  books  to  read  about 
it,  and  I  seem  now  to  know  more  about  South  Africa 
than  about  any  other  country  in  the  world.  There  are 
the  diamond  fields,  too,  out  there,  and  I  hope,  before  I 
settle  down  regularly  to  a  farm,  that  father  will  let  me 
go  for  a  few  months  and  try  my  luck  there.  Would  it 
not  just  be  jolly  to  find  a  diamond  as  big  as  a  pigeon's 
egg  and  worth  about  twenty  thousand  pounds?" 

"And  do  they  do  that?"  the  boy  asked. 

"Well,  they  don't  often  find  them  as  big  as  that;  still, 
one  might  be  the  lucky  one." 

The  news  that  Mr.  Humphreys  and  his  family  wera 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  23 

about  to  sell  off  and  emigrate  Daturally  caused  a  great 
deal  of  talk  in  and  around  Castleton,  and  put  the  idea 
into  the  minds  of  many  who  had  never  before  seriously 
thought  of  it.  If  Mr.  Humphreys,  who  had  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  neighborhood,  thought  that  it  would 
pay  him  to  sell  his  land  and  go  out,  it  would  surely  be  a 
good  thing  for  others  to  do  the  same.  He  was  consid- 
ered to  be  a  good  farmer  and  a  long-headed  man;  one 
who  would  not  take  such  a  step  without  carefully  looking 
into  the  matter — for  Mr.  Humphreys,  in  order  to  avoid 
questioning  and  the  constant  inquiries  about  his  wife's 
health,  which  would  be  made,  did  he  announce  that  he 
was  leaving  for  that  reason,  did  not  think  it  necessary  to 
inform  people  that  it  was  in  the  hopes  of  staving  off  the 
danger  which  threatened  her  that  he  was  making  a  move. 

A  great  many  of  the  neighboring  laborers  would  gladly 
have  gone  with  him;  but  he  found  by  his  reading  that 
Kaffir  labor  was  to  be  obtained  out  there  very  cheaply. 
He  determined,  however,  to  take  with  him  two  of  his 
own  hands — the  one  a  strong,  active  young  fellow  named 
Bill  Harrison,  the  other  a  middle-aged  man  named  John- 
son, who  had  been  with  him  from  a  boy.  He  was  a  mar- 
ried man  with  two  girls,  aged  fifteen  and  sixteen,  the 
eldest  of  whom  was  already  employed  by  Mrs.  Hum- 
phreys in  the  house.  Johnson's  wife  was  a  superior 
woman  of  her  class,  and  Mr.  Humphreys  thought  that  it 
would  be  pleasant  for  his  wife,  having  a  woman  at  hand, 
whom  she  could  speak  to.  The  girls  were  to  act  as  serv- 
ants— indeed,  Mr.  Humphreys  thought  it  probable  that 
the  whole  party  would  live  under  one  roof. 

Among  those  whom  Mr.  Humphreys'  decision  to 
emigrate  had  much  moved  was  Mr.  Jackson.  He  was 
not  in  so  good  a  position,  as  he  did  not  farm  his  own 
land;  but  he  had  sufficient  capital  to  start  him  well  in 
the  colony,  where  a  farm  can  be  bought  outright  at  a  few 


24  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

shillings  an  acre.  He  talked  the  matter  over  with  his 
friend  on  several  occasions,  and  at  last  said: 

"Well,  I  think  I  have  pretty  well  made  up  my  mind; 
the  doctor  is  telling  me  that  my  poor  little  chap  is  not 
likely  to  live  long;  his  mother  is  wrapped  up  in  him,  and 
will  never  like  the  place  again — sol  think  on  all  grounds 
a  change  will  be  good.  I  can't  come  out  with  you,  be- 
cause I  have  got  a  lease  of  the  farm;  but  I- fancy  that  it 
is  worth  more  than  it  was  when  I  took  it,  and  if  I  can 
get  a  good  tenant  to  take  it  off  my  hands  I  don't  suppose 
the  landlord  will  make  any  objections.  I  shall  look 
about  at  once,  and,  when  my  poor  little  chap  is  gone,  I 
shan't  be  long  before  I  come  after  you.  You  will  let  me 
know  how  you  find  the  place,  and  whether  these  book 
accounts  are  true? — I  have  heard  that  many  of  these 
chaps  who  write  books  are  awful  liars.  I  should  like  to 
get  a  farm  as  near  you  as  may  be." 

It  was  early  in  the  spring  when  Mr.  Humphreys  and 
his  party  embarked  at  Plymouth  in  the  Dunster  Castle. 
The  farm  had  sold  well,  and  Mr.  Humphreys  possessed  a 
capital  of  several  thousand  pounds — a  sum  which  would 
make  him  a  rich  man  in  the  colony.  None  of  the  party 
had  ever  seen  the  sea  before,  and  the  delight  of  the  two 
boys  and  the  wonderment  of  the  laborers  at  all  they  saw 
was  very  great.  Mr.  Humphreys  had  taken  first-class 
passages  for  himself  and  family,  while  the  others  of 
course  were  steerage  passengers. 


Sffl  10UJXU  VOLGA  IS2U  %& 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   FARM. 

The  voyage  to  the  Cape  passed  without  any  incident 
whatever.  The  weather  was  fine  the  whole  distance. 
Without  even  a  single  storm  to  break  the  monotony  they 
touched  at  Cape  Town  and  Port  Elizabeth,  and  at  last 
arrived  at  Durban.  The  journey  had  not  been  too  long 
for  the  boys;  everything  was  so  perfectly  new  to  them 
that  they  were  never  tired  of  watching  the  sea  and  look- 
ing for  porpoises  and  the  shoals  of  fish,  over  which 
hovered  thousands  of  birds. 

Once  or  twice  they  saw  a  whale  spout,  while  flying- 
fish  were  matters  of  hourly  occurrence.  They  had 
prodigious  appetites,  and  greatly  enjoyed  the  food,  which 
was  altogether  different  to  that  to  which  they  had  been 
accustomed.  They  had  stopped  at  Madeira  and  St. 
Vincent,  where  great  stocks  of  delicious  fruit  had  been 
taken  on  board.  Altogether  they  were  quite  sorry  when 
they  arrived  at  the  end  of  the  voyage. 

The  landing  was  effected  in  large  boats,  as  theDunster 
Castle  drew  too  much  water  to  cross  the  bar  at  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor. 

They  stopped  only  one  day  at  Durban,  where  Mr. 
Humphreys  hired  a  wagon  to  take  the  party  to  Pieter- 
Maritzburg,  the  capital.  He  was  not  encumbered  with 
baggage,  as  he  had  decided  to  buy  everything  he  wanted 
in  the  colony. 

"You  may  pay  dearer,"  he  said,  "no  doubt;  but  then 


26  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

you  get  just  what  you  want.  If  I  were  to  take  out  im- 
plements, they  might  not  be  suited  to  the  requirements 
of  the  country.  As  for  clothes,  they  would  of  course  be 
pretty  much  the  same  everywhere;  still,  it  is  better  to 
take  out  only  a  year's  requirements  and  to  buy  as  we 
want,  instead  of  lumbering  over  the  country  with  a 
quantity  of  heavy  baggage." 

The  party  were  greatly  amused  at  their  first  experi- 
ence of  a  Cape  wagon;  it  was  of  very  large  size,  massively 
built,  and  covered  with  a  great  tilt;  and  it  was  drawn  by 
sixteen  oxen,  spanned  two  by  two.  This  was  an  alto- 
gether unnecessary  number  for  the  weight  which  had  to 
be  carried,  but  the  wagon  had  come  down  loaded  from 
the  interior,  and  Mr.  Humphreys  therefore  paid  no  more 
than  he  would  have  done  for  a  wagon  with  a  small  num- 
ber of  oxen.  They  took  two  days  to  accomplish  the 
journey,  the  women  sleeping  at  night  in  the  wagon,  and 
Mr.  Humphreys  and  his  sons  in  blankets  on  the  ground. 

The  driver,  who  was  an  Englishman,  had  been  many 
years  in  the  colony,  and  from  him,  upon  the  road,  Mr. 
Humphreys  gained  much  valuable  information  about  the 
country.  The  driver  was  assisted  by  two  Kaffirs,  one  of 
whom  walked  ahead  of  the  leading  cattle,  the  other 
alongside,  shouting  and  prodding  them. 

The  boys  were  astonished  at  the  power  and  accuracy 
with  which  the  driver  whirled  his  whip;  this  had  a  short 
handle  and  a  lash  of  twenty  yards  long,  and  with  it  he 
was  able  to  hit  any  animal  of  the  team  with  absolute  cer- 
tainty, and  indeed  to  make  the  thong  alight  on  any  part 
of  their  bodies  at  which  he  aimed. 

On  their  arrival  at  Pieter-Maritzburg  Mr.  Humphreys 
hired  a  house,  and  here  he  placed  his  party  while  he  set 
to  work  to  make  inquiries  after  a  suitable  location.  He 
soon  heard  of  several  places  which  seemed  suitable,  and 
having  bought  a  horse  started  for  Newcastle,  a  small 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  2T 

town  situated  close    to    the  frontier-line  between  the* 
Transvaal  and  Natal. 

He  was  away  for  three  weeks,  and  on  his  return, 
informed  his  wife  that  he  had  purchased  a  farm  of  two- 
thousand  acres,  with  a  substantial  farmhouse,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  ten  miles  from  Newcastle,  for  the  sum  of  fifteen 
hundred  pounds. 

The  farmhouse  was  already  roughly  furnished,  but  Mr. 
Humphreys  purchased  a  number  of  other  articles,  which, 
would  make  it  comfortable  and  home-like.  He  laid  in  a. 
great  stock  of  groceries,  and  then  hiring  a  wagon,  simi- 
lar to  that  in  which  they  had  before  traveled,  started 
with  his  party  for  the  farm,  having  also  hired  four  Kaffirs- 
to  assist  there.  Traveling  by  easy  stages,  it  took  them 
twelve  days  to  get  to  Newcastle.  The  country  was, 
undulating  and  the  road  rose  steadily  the  whole  distance. 

Near  Pieter-Maritzburg  the  population  was  compara- 
tively thick.  The  fields  were  well  cultivated  and  the- 
vegetation  thick  and  luxuriant,  but  as  they  ascended  the 
character  of  the  country  changed.  Vast  stretches  of 
rolling  grass  everywhere  met  the  eye.  This  was  now 
beautifully  green,  for  it  was  winter.  In  the  summer  and 
autumn  the  grass  becomes  dry  and  burned  up;  fire  is  then 
applied  to  it,  and  the  whole  country  assumes  a  black- 
mantle.  But  the  first  shower  of  rain  brings  up  the 
young  grass  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  country  is. 
covered  with  fresh  verdure. 

Mr.  Humphreys  told  his  wife  that,  before  fixing  on  the 
farm,  he  had  ridden  into  the  Transvaal,  and  found  tho, 
land  could  be  purchased  there  even  more  cheaply  than  in 
Natal;  but  that  he  had  much  conversation  with  English 
settlers  on  the  frontier,  and  these  had  for  the  most  pari. 
strongly  advised  him  to  settle  fmside  the  Natal  frontier. 

"It  may  be  that  all  will  be  right,"  one  had  told  him, 
"but  the  Boers  have  not  yet  irecovered  from  their  scara* 
from  Secoceni." 


28  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

''Who  is  Secoceni,  father?''  Dick  asked.  "The  books 
we  have  say  nothing  about  him." 

"No,"  Mr.  Humphreys  said;  "they  were  all  published 
a  few  years  since,  and  none  of  them  treat  much  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Transvaal,  which,  as  an  independent  state, 
had  comparatively  little  interest  to  English  settlers. 
'There  are  in  the  Transvaal,  which  is  of  immense  extent, 
a  very  large  number  of  natives,  enormously  outnumber- 
ing the  Boers.  In  the  southern  districts,  where  the 
Boers  are  strongest,  they  cruelly  ill-treat  the  natives, 
making  slaves  of  them,  and  thinking  no  more  of  shooting 
one  of  them  down  than  they  would  of  shooting  a  dog. 
In  the  outlying  provinces  they  live  almost  on  sufferance 
of  the  natives,  and,  were  these  to  unite  their  forces  and 
rise,  they  could  annihilate  the  Dutch.  Secoceni  is  a 
powerful  chief,  who  lives  with  his  tribe  in  a  natural 
stronghold;  he  has  always  held  himself  as  independent 
of  the  Dutch.  As  his  men  used  to  make  raids  upon  the 
Boers'  cattle,  the  latter  attacked  him,  and  in  alliance 
with  Swazis,  another  powerful  tribe,  endeavored  to  carry 
his  fortress;  they  were,  however,  badly  beaten;  it  being 
only  by  the  gallantry  of  their  native  allies  that  the  Boer 
contingent  was  saved  from  destruction.  Secoceni  then 
took  the  offeusive.  A  perfect  panic  seized  the  Boers; 
they  refused  to  obey  the  orders  of  their  government,  and 
to  turn  out  to  resist  the  invaders.  The  treasury  was 
empty,  for  their  government  had  never  been  enabled  to 
persuade  them  to  pay  taxes.  They  applied  for  aid  to 
Natal,  but  finally  their  plight  was  so  bad  that  they  were 
glad  to  accept  the  offer  which  Mr.  Shepstone  made  them, 
of  annexation  to  England,  by  which  they  secured  our 
protection  and  were  safe  from  annihilation.  Secoceni 
was  not  the  only  enemy  who  threatened  them.  They 
had  a  still  more  formidable  foe  in  the  Zulus  on  the  east- 
ern frontier.     These  are  a  very  warlike  people,  and  it 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  29 

was  known  that  their  king  meditated  the  conquest  of  the 
Transvaal.  But,  glad  enough  as  the  Boers  were  at  the 
moment  to  accept  the  protection  of  England,,  now  that 
the  danger  is  over  a  great  many  of  them  would  like  to* 
kick  down  the  bridge  which  has  helped  them  over  the 
stream.  They  make  no  secret  of  their  dislike  to  Eng- 
lishmen, and  although  they  are  glad  enough  to  sell  their 
land  at  prices  immensely  in  advance  of  the  former  value, 
for  indeed  land  was  previously  almost  unsalable  in  the 
Transvaal,  they  are  on  bad  terms  with  them.  One  of  my 
informants  describes  them  as  a  sullen,  sulky  people,  and 
predicts  that  sooner  or  later  we  shall  have  trouble  with 
them;  so  I  thought  it  better  altogether  to  pay  a  little 
higher  for  my  land,  and  to  be  within  the  boundaries  of 
this  colony." 

On  arriving  at  the  farm  Mrs.  Humphreys  was  glad  to 
find  that  the  house,  though  rough,  was  substantial.  It 
.was  built  of  stone.  The  walls  were  of  great  thickness, 
as  the  stones  were  laid  without  mortar,  with  which,  how- 
ever, it  was  faced  inside  and  out.  One  large  room 
occupied  the  greater  portion  of  the  ground  floor;  beside 
this  was  a  small  sitting-room.  Upstairs  were  four  bed- 
rooms. Eor  the  time  the  small  room  downstairs  was. 
turned  into  a  bedroom,  which  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Humphreys, 
occupied.  The  four  bedrooms  upstairs  just  held  the 
rest  of  the  party.  The  outhouses  consisted  only  of  a 
large  barn  and  a  rough  stable. 

Mr.  Humphreys  at  once  rode  over  to  Newcastle,  and 
obtained  the  services  of  a  mason  and  six  Kaffirs,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  add  a  wing  to  the  farmhouse.  This  was  for 
the  use  of  Johnson  and  his  wife,  and  Harrison.  The 
whole  party  were,  however,  to  take  their  meals  together 
in  the  great  kitchen.  A  hut  was  also  built  for  the 
Kaffirs,  and  another  large  stable  was  erected. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Humphreys  went 


30  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

across  the  border  into  the  Transvaal,  taking  Harrison 
and  two  of  the  Kaffirs  with  him,  and  returned  a  fort- 
night later  with  a  herd  of  four  hundred  cattle,  which  he 
had  purchased.  He  also  bought  three  yoke  of  oxen, 
broken  to  the  plow.  Hitherto  the  farm  had  been  purely 
«,  pastoral  one,  but  Mr.  Humphreys  at  once  began  to 
break  up  some  land  for  wheat  and  Indian  corn.  The 
Kaffirs  were  set  to  work  to  fence  and  dig  up  a  plot  round 
the  house  for  vegetables,  and  to  dig  holes  near  it,  over  a 
space  of  some  acres,  for  the  reception  of  three  thousand 
young  fruit-trees— apples,  pears,  peaches,  and  plums — 
which  he  had  bought  at  Pieter-Maritzburg,  and  which 
were  to  come  up  in  two  months'  time.  He  also  bought 
six  riding-horses. 

In  a  few  weeks  the  farm  assumed  quite  a  different  ap- 
pearance. A  gang  of  Kaffirs,  ten  strong,  had  been  hired 
io  hurry  on  the  work  of  preparing  the  orchard  and  erect- 
ing a  fence  round  it.  Wood  was,  Mr.  Humphreys  found, 
extremely  scarce  and  dear,  the  country  being  absolutely 
bare  of  trees,  and  wood  for  fuel  was  only  obtained  in 
kloofs  or  deep  hollows,  and  had  to  be  fetched  long  dis- 
tances. 

"I  suppose,"  Mrs.  Humphreys  said  to  her  husband  one 
evening,  "you  mean  to  make  cattle-raising  your  principal 
point?" 

"No,"  he  said;  "every  one  raises  cattle,  and  the  Dutch 
can  do  it  cheaper  than  we  can;  they  have  immense  tracts 
of  land,  and  their  Kaffir  labor  costs  them  next  to  noth- 
ing. I  do  not  say  that  we  could  not  live  and  to  a  certain 
extent  thrive  on  cattle,  but  I  think  that  there  is  some- 
thing much  better  to  be  done.  Wood  is  an  awful  price 
here,  and  all  that  is  used  has  to  be  brought  up  from  the 
coast.  I  think  therefore  of  planting  trees.  The  climate 
is  magnificent,  and  their  growth  will  be  rapid.  They 
•will,  of  course,  require  fencing  to  keep  out  the  cattle,  but 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  31 

I  shall  do  that,  as  I  am  doing  the  orchard,  with  wire 
fencing  and  light  iron-uprights.  Labor  is  plentiful,  and 
there  are  large  nurseries  near  Pieter-Maritzburg,  where 
I  can  procure  any  number  of  young  trees;  so  I  mean  to 
plant  two  hundred  acres  a  year — in  ten  years  the  whole 
farm  will  be  planted,  and  the  loppings  for  poles  and  fire- 
wood will  in  a  very  short  time  after  planting  begin  to  pay 
well.  In  fifteen  years  the  first  two  hundred  acres  will  be 
fit  to  fell,  and  the  property  will  be  worth  a  very  large 
sum  of  money.  Of  course  we  can  sell  out  before  that  if 
we  like.  But  at  the  present  price  of  wood  up  here,  or 
even  should  it  fall  to  a  quarter  of  its  present  price,  the 
value  of  the  two  thousand  acres  of  wood  will  in  twenty 
years  be  extremely  large." 

The  boys  were  delighted  with  their  new  life.  Mre 
Humphreys  had,  before  leaving  England,  bought  for 
Dick  a  Winchester  repeating-rifle.  These  arms  are  very 
light,  and  Dick  was  able  to  carry  his  without  difficulty; 
and  very  shortly  after  their  arrival  his  father  had  a  mark 
erected  at  a  distance  from  the  house,  at  which  he  could 
practice  with  safety.  Game  was  abundant  all  over  the 
country.  Herds  of  deer  and  antelope  of  various  kinds 
often  swept  past  in  sight  of  the  farmhouse,  and  winged 
game  also  abounded. 

Mr.  Humphreys  had  at  home  been  considered  a  first- 
rate  shot  at  partridges,  and  had  for  four  or  five  years 
belonged  to  the  Castleton  volunteers,  and  had  carried  off 
many  prizes  for  rifle-shooting.  He  was  now  able,  by  go- 
ing out  for  a  few  hours  once  or  twice  a  week,  to  keep  the 
larder  well  supplied,  and  the  little  flock  of  fifty  sheep, 
which  he  had  bought  for  home  consumption,  was  but 
seldom  drawn  upon.  The  Kaffirs  were  fed  upon  mealies, 
as  they  call  Indian  corn,  of  which  Mr.  Humphreys  had 
no  difficulty  in  purchasing  sufficient  for  his  wants  from 
the  neighboring  farmers.  , 


32  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

His  noxt  neighbors  were  two  brothers,  Scotchmen, 
named  Fraser,  who  lived  at  a  distance  of  four  miles. 
They  rode  over  the  day  after  the  travelers'  arrival,  and 
offered  their  services  in  anyway.  Mr.  Humphreys,  how- 
ever, was  well  supplied  with  stores  of  all  kinds,  and  his 
two  white  laborers,  being  both  handy  men,  were  able  to 
do  all  that  was  required  about  the  house. 

The  Frasers  proved  pleasant  neighbors,  and  often  rode 
over  and  spent  Sunday  with  the  Humphreys,  and  the 
boys  sometimes  went  over  and  spent  the  day  with  them. 
i  A  Kaffir  lad,  son  of  one  of  the  men  engaged  upon  the 
farm,  was  hired  by  Mr.  Humphreys  as  a  special  attendant 
for  Dick.  On  these  vast  undulating  plains,  where  there 
are  no  trees  to  serve  as  a  landmark,  it  is  exceedingly  dif- 
ficult for  a  stranger  to  find  his  way.  Dick  was  told  by 
his  father  that,  whether  riding  or  walking,  he  was  always 
to  take  the  Kaffir  boy  with  him;  and  except  when  he  was 
indulging  in  a  gallop  the  lad  was  easily  able  to  keep  up 
with  him.  He  had  been  born  a  hunter,  and  soon  taught 
Dick  how  to  stalk  the  timid  deer,  and,  as  the  lad  im- 
proved in  his  shooting,  he  was  ere  long  enabled  to  keep 
the  larder  supplied — a  duty  which  Mr.  Humphreys  gladly 
handed  over  to  him,  as  every  minute  of  his  own  time  was 
occupied  by  his  work  on  the  farm. 

Of  an  evening  after  supper,  which  was  partaken  of  at 
the  conclusion  of  work,  the  men  retired  to  their  own 
wing  and  Mrs.  Humphreys  and  the  two  girls  sat  down  to 
their  sewing  by  the  fire;  for  upon  the  uplands  the  even- 
ings are  quite  cold  enough  to  find  a  fire  a  comfort  in 
winter.  Then  the  boys  would  take  out  their  lesson- 
books  and  work  steadily  for  three  hours.  Under  the 
changed  conditions  of  their  life,  Mr.  Humphreys  felt 
that  Dick  might,  if  he  chose,  well  discontinue  his  study 
of  the  classics,  and  his  work  therefore  consisted  in  the 
reading  of  history,  travels,  and  books  of  scientific  knowl- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  33- 

"Next  to  being  a  learned  man,"  his  father  said  to  him, 
"the  best  and  most  useful  thing  is  to  be  a  thoroughly 
well-informed  man  on  all  general  subjects." 

John,  however,  continued  his  studies  as  before;  his 
life  of  outdoor  exercise  strengthened  and  improved  him, 
and  he  no  longer  wished  to  be  always  sitting  with  a  book 
in  his  hand — still,  he  had  a  natural  love  of  study,  which 
his  father  encouraged,  deeming  it  possible  that  as  he- 
grew  up  he  might  be  unwilling  to  embrace  the  life  of  a 
colonist,  in  which  case  he  determined  to  send  him  home 
to  finish  his  education  in  England,  and  afterward  to  start 
him  in  any  profession  he  might  select. 

Finding  that  the  cost  of  carriage  up  the  country  was 
very  high,  and  as  he  would  yearly  require  many  wagon- 
loads  of  young  trees  and  fencing,  Mr.  Humphreys  deter- 
mined to  do  his  own  teaming;  he  therefore  bought  two 
of  the  large  country-wagons  and  set  a  Kaffir  to  work  to 
break  in  some  young  steers  to  the  yoke. 

Six  months  after  their  arrival  in  the  colony  they  had 
for  the  first  time  visitors  to  stay  at  the  farm — Mr.  Jack- 
son, his  wife,  his  son  Tom,  and  two  daughters  coming 
out  to  settle  near  them.  This  was  a  great  delight  to  the 
boys,  and  fortunately  Mr.  Jackson  was  able  to  buy  a 
farm  of  five  hundred  acres  adjoining  that  of  his  friend;, 
the  house,  however,  was  but  a  cabin,  and  while  a  fresh 
one  was  being  erected  the  family  remained  guests  of  the 
Humphreys.  Mr.  Jackson  had,  at  his  friend's  advice, 
brought  with  him  from  England  a  laborer  with  his  wife 
and  family,  who  at  once  took  up  their  residence  in  the 
hut  on  the  farm. 

To  Dick  the  coming  of  the  Jacksons  was  a  source  oi 
special  pleasure.  Tom  was  just  his  own  age,  and  tha 
two  boys  had  become  inseparable  friends  at  home  after 
their  adventure,  in  the  snow,  upon  which  occasion  Tom, 
as  he  freely  owned,  had  owed  his  life  to  Dick's  energy 


34  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

and  promptness  of  suggestion.  Dick  was  fond  of  his 
brother,  but  three  years  make  a  great  difference  at  this 
period  of  life,  and,  as  their  tastes  were  wholly  dissimilar, 
•John  had  never  been  a  companion  for  him.  Since  their 
arrival  in  South  Africa  they  had  got  on  very  well  to- 
gether; still,  they  had  not  the  same  ideas  or  subjects  of 
thought,  and  it  was  an  immense  delight  to  Dick  to  have 
his  old  friend  and  companion  with  him. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Dick's  time  was  occupied 
solely  in  amusement;  from  early  morning  until  dinner- 
time he  worked  steadily.  Sometimes  he  assisted  to  erect 
the  hurdles  and  strain  the  wires  of  the  fencing;  at  others 
lie  aided  in  the  planting  of  the  fruit  trees;  then  he  would 
be  with  the  Kaffirs  who  were  breaking  in  the  oxen  for 
the  wagons.  At  all  times  he  took  off  his  coat  and  worked 
with  the  rest,  for,  as  his  father  said: 

"If  a  farmer  is  to  be  able  properly  to  look  after  men 
at  work,  he  must  be  able  to  do  the  work  himself.'' 

While  Dick  was  at  work  with  the  men,  John,  who  was 
too  young  to  be  of  any  use,  remained  indoors  at  his 
books,  and,  although  of  an  afternoon  he  would  stroll  out, 
he  seldom  went  far  from  the  house.  The  other  boys 
generally  went  for  long  rides  when  work  was  done.  One 
day  they  sighted  a  herd  of  steinbock.  Leaving  their 
horses  with  the  Kaffir  lad  in  a  hollow,  they  crept  round 
so  as  to  get  the  deer  between  them  and  the  wind,  and 
managed  to  reach  unobserved  a  brow  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  herd.  Dick  had  by  this  time  become  a  good 
shot,  and  the  buck  at  which  he  aimed  fell  dead  in  its 
tracks.  Tom  was  not  much  of  a  shot,  but  he  had  fired 
into  the  thick  of  the  deer  and  gave  a  shout  of  delight  at 
seeing  one  of  them  fall.  The  rest  of  the  herd  dashed  off 
at  full  speed.  Tom  ran,  shouting,  forward,  but  to  his 
mortification  the  stag  that  he  had  hit  rose  again  to  its 
feet  and  went  off  at  a  trot  in  the  direction  taken  by  the 


THE  YOUNQ  COLONISTS.  35 

orfcers;  a  minute  later  the  Kaffir  boy  was  seen  running 
toward  them  at  his  full  speed,  leading  the  horses. 

The  two  boys  on  his  arrival  leaped  into  their  saddles, 
and  started  in  pursuit  of  the  wounded  stag,  which  was< 
still  in  sight,  thinking  at  first  they  could  easily  ride  it. 
down.  But  the  animal  seemed  rather  to  gain  than  to 
lose  strength,  and,  although  they  had  considerably  les- 
sened the  start  he  had  obtained  of  them,  he  still  kept, 
steadily  on.  Active  and  wiry  as  their  horses  were,  they 
could  not  overtake  it,  and  the  boys  had  at  last  the  morti- 
fication of  seeing  that  the  stag  was  now  gaining  upon: 
them,  and  they  presently  drew  rein,  and  their  panting 
horses  came  to  a  standstill. 

"What  a  horrid  sell!"  Tom  Jackson  exclaimed  angrily.. 
"I  can't  understand  his  going  like  that  after  I  fairly- 
brought  him  down." 

"I  expect,"  Dick  said,  "that  your  bullet  can  only  have 
grazed  his  skull;  it  stunned  him  for  the  moment,  but. 
after  he  had  once  come  to  himself  he  went  on  as  briskly 
as  usual.  If  he  had  been  hard  hit  we  should  certainly 
have  ridden  him  down." 

"Well,  I  suppose,"  Tom  said  more  good-humoredly,, 
"there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  ride  back." 

"But  which  is  our  road?"  Dick  said  in  some  dismay- 
"I  am  sure  I  have  no  idea,  and  now  that  the  sun  is  gonas 
in  there  is  nothing  to  steer  by." 

While  they  had  been  riding  the  day  had  changed;  the 
sky,  which  had  for  weeks  been  bright  and  fine,  was  now 
overcast  with  heavy  clouds. 

"We  are  in  for  a  storm,  I  think,"  Dick  went  on,  "and 
it  is  coming  on  fast.  I  have  not  an  idea  which  w  ay  to 
go,  and  I  think  our  best  plan  will  be  to  halt.  Joel  will 
track  us,  and  the  further  we  go  the  longer  he  will  be  in- 
overtaking  us.  There  is  the  first  drop!  The  best  thing 
to  do,  Tom,  will  be  to  take  oft  our  saddles  and  tether  our 


36  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

horses,  and  then  to  wait.  This  storm  is  a  nuisance?  in 
the  first  place  we  shall  be  drenched,  in  the  second  it  will 
wash  out  our  tracks,  and  the  darkness  will  come  so 
quickly  that  I  am  afraid  Joel  will  not  be  able  to  trace  us. 
You  see  we  do  not  know  whether  we  have  been  riding 
■straight  or  not;  the  stag  may  have  been  running  in  a 
■circle  for  anything  we  know,  and  as  we  have  been  riding 
ior  something  like  two  hours,  we  may  be  within  five 
miles  of  home  or  we  may  be  twenty-five." 

Scarcely  had  the  boys  got  the  saddles  off  and  tethered 
their  horses  when  the  rain  came  down  in  a  sheet,  accom- 
panied by  the  most  tremendous  thunder  and  the  most 
vivid  lightning  Tom  had  ever  seen. 

"This  is  awful,  Dick,"  he  said. 

"Yes,"  Dick  agreed;  "thunderstorms  here  are  fright- 
ful* Houses  are  often  struck;  but,  lying  down  here  in 
the  open,  there  is  not  much  fear." 

For  hours  the  storm  continued  unabated;  the  rain 
came  down  in  a  perfect  deluge.  The  boys  had  put  their 
saddles  together  and  had  covered  these  with  the  horse- 
cloths so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  tent,  but  they  were  never- 
theless soaked  to  the  skin,  and,  to  add  to  their  discom- 
£ture,  the  horses  had  been  so  frightened  by  the  blinding 
glare  of  the  lightning  that  they  tugged  at  the  ropes 
until,  as  the  wet  penetrated  the  ground,  the  pegs  became 
loosened,  and  they  scoured  away  into  the  darkness. 

After  continuing  for  five  hours  the  rain  suddenly 
ceased. 

"What  are  we  to  do  in  the  morning,  Dick?" 

"If  it  is  fine  it  will  be  easy  enough;  we  shall  put  our 
saddles  on  our  heads  and  walk  eastward.  I  have  got  a 
little  pocket-compass  which  father  gave  me  in  case  I 
should  at  any  time  get  lost,  so  we  shall  have  no  difficulty 
in  keeping  our  way,  and  sooner  or  later  we  must  strike 
the  road  running  north  to  Newcastle." 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  3? 

They  did  not,  however,  wait  till  morning;  so  wet  and 
chilled  were  they  that  they  agreed  they  Avould  rather 
walk  than  lie  still.  Accordingly  they  put  the  saddles  on 
their  heads  as  soon  as  the  rain  ceased  and  the  stars  shone 
out,  struck  a  light  and  looked  at  their  compass,  fixed  on 
a  star  to  steer  by,1  and  then  set  out  on  their  journey. 

Fortunately,  after  two  hours'  walking  they  struck  the 
road  at  a  point  some  ten  miles  from  the  farm,  and  were 
home  soon  after  daybreak,  just  as  their  fathers  were 
about  to  set  out  with  a  body  of  Kaffirs  in  search  of  them. 
Joel  had  returned  late  at  night,  having  turned  his  face 
homeward  when  it  became  too  dark  to  follow  the  track; 
the  horses  had  both  come  in  during  the  night.. 


38  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   OUTBREAK  OF  WAR. 

As  soon  as  the  Jacksons'  house  was  finished  they  went 
into  residence  there;  but  two  or  three  times  a  week  Dick 
and  Torn  managed  to  meet,  one  or  other  being  sure  to 
iind  some  excuse  for  riding  over. 

The  Humphreys  had  arrived  in  Natal  at  the  end  of 
April,  1877,  and  by  November  in  the  following  year  their 
iarm  presented  a  very  different  appearance  to  that  which 
it  had  worn  on  their  arrival— sixteen  months  of  energetic 
labor,  carried  on  by  a  considerable  number  of  hands, 
will  effect  wonders.  Possessing  ample  capital  Mr.  Hum- 
phreys was  able  to  keep  a  strong  gang  of  Kaffirs  at  work, 
and  for  some  time  had  thirty  men  upon  the  farm.  Thus 
"the  house  which,  when  he  took  it,  stood  solitary  and  lone 
in  a  bare  plain,  was  now  surrounded  by  two  hundred 
acres  of  young  trees.  Of  these,  twenty  acres  were  fruit 
trees;  the  remainder,  trees  grown  for  their  wood.  These 
were  planted  thickly,  as  they  would  every  year  be  thinned 
out,  and  the  young  poles  would  fetch  a  good  sum  for 
fencing.  Although  they  had  only  been  planted  a  few 
months  they  were  already  green  and  bright;  they  were 
protected  from  the  cattle  by  a  wire  fence  encircling  the 
whole. 

The  cattle  had  thriven  and  were  doing  well,  and  a 
large  field  of  Indian  corn  had  been  harvested  for  the  use 
of  the  Kaffirs.  The  cattle  had  nearly  doubled  in  num- 
bers, as  Mr.  Humphreys  did  not  care  about  selling  at 
present.     The  expenses  of   living    were  slight.     M»at, 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  39* 

fowls,  and  eggs  were  raised  upon  the  farm,  and  the  guns 
of  Mr.  Humphreys  and  Dick  provided  them  with  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  game.  Four  milch  cows  were  kept  in  a, 
paddock  near  the  house,  and  supplied  it  with  milk,  but- 
ter, and  cheese.  Groceries  and  flour  had  alone  to  be 
purchased,  and,  as  Mr.  Humphreys  said,  he  did  not  care 
if  he  did  not  sell  a  head  of  cattle  for  the  next  ten  years j 
but  he  would  be  obliged  to  do  so  before  long,  as  the  farm, 
would  carry  but  a  small  number  more  than  he  already 
possessed,  and  its  available  extent  for  that  purpose  woulct 
diminish  every  year,  as  the  planting  went  on. 

Mr.  Humphreys  was  fortunate  in  having  a  small  stream: 
run  through  his  farm.  He  erected  a  dam  across  a  hol- 
low, so  that  in  winter  a  pond  of  two  or  three  acres  in. 
extent,  and  fifteen  or  sixteen  feet  deep,  was  formed,, 
affording  an  ample  supply  for  the  summer;  this  was  of 
great  utility  to  him,  as  he  was  thereby  enabled  to  con- 
tinue his  planting  operations,  filling  up  each  hole  with, 
water  when  the  trees  were  put  in,  and  then,  as  this  sub- 
sided, filling  in  the  earth;  by  this  means  the  young  trees 
got  a  good  start,  and  seldom  required  watering  after- 
ward. He  had  a  large  water-cart  built  for  him;  this  was, 
drawn  by  four  oxen,  and  brought  the  water  to  the  point 
where  the  Kaffirs  were  engaged  in  planting. 

Steers  sufficient  for  two  wagons  had  been  broken  in,, 
and  when  these  were  not  employed  in  bringing  up  young: 
trees  and  fencing  from  Newcastle  they  worked  upon  the 
road  between  Newcastle  and  Pieter-Maritzburg,  there- 
being  a  great  demand  for  conveyance,  as  numbers  of 
traders  were  going  up  into  the  Transvaal  and  opening; 
stores  there.  Mr.  Jackson  had  also  two  wagons  engaged 
in  the  same  work.  When  trees  and  goods  were  wanted 
for  the  farm,  Dick  went  down  with  the  wagons  to  see 
that  these  were  properly  loaded,  and  that  the  young 
trees,  which  were  often  in  leaf,  were  taken  out  every 


40  TEE  YOTTNG  COLONISTS. 

night  and  set  with  the  roots  in  water  until  the  morn- 
ing. 

One  evening,  early  in  October,  Mr.  Jackson  rode  over 
with  Tom. 

"I  have  heard,"  the  former  said  to  Mr.  Humphreys, 
'"that  the  government  have  determined  on  moving  the 
troops  down  to  the  Zulu  frontier;  the  attitude  of  Cete- 
wayo  is  very  threatening." 

"He  is  a  troublesome  neighbor,"  Mr.  Humphreys  said. 
"They  say  that  he  has  thirty  thousand  fighting  men,  and 
in  that  case  he  ought  to  be  able  to  overrun  both  Natal 
and  the  Transvaal,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that  Zulus  fight 
with  great  bravery.  -As  for  the  Dutch,  I  really  can't 
blame  the  Zulus.  The  Boers  are  always  encroaching  on 
their  territory,  and  any  remonstrance  is  answered  by  a 
rifle-shot.  Had  it  not  been  for  our  annexation  of  the 
Transvaal,  Oetewayo  would  have  overrun  it  and  exter- 
minated the  Dutch  before  now.  We  have  a  strong  force 
in  the  colony  just  at  present,  and  I  think  Sir  Bartle 
Frere  means  to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis.  The  existence 
•of  such  an  army  of  warlike  savages  on  the  frontier  is  a 
standing  threat  to  the  very  existence  of  the  colony,  and 
the  constitution  of  the  army  renders  it  almost  a  necessity 
that  it  should  fight.  All  the  men  are  soldiers,  and  as 
none  are  allowed  to  marry  until  the  regiment  to  which 
they  belong  has  distinguished  itself  in  battle,  they  are 
naturally  always  burning  for  war.  The  Pieter-Maritzburg 
paper  says  that  it  understands  that  Sir  Bartle  Frere  is 
about  to  send  in  an  ultimatum,  demanding — in  addition 
to  various  small  matters,  such  as  the  punishing  of  raiders 
across  the  frontier — the  entire  abandonment  of  the  pres- 
ent system  of  the  Zulu  army,  and  cessation  of  the  bloody 
massacres  which  constantly  take  place  in  that  country. 
If  a  man  offend3  the  king,  not  only  is  he  put  to  death, 
but  the  whole  of  the  people  of  his  village  are  often  mas- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  41 

sacred.  Altogether  an  abominable  state  of  things  pre- 
vails; there  seems  to  be  but  one  opinion  throughout  the 
colony,  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  our  safety  that 
the  Zulu  organization  shall  be  broken  up." 

"I  see,"  Mr.  Jackson  said,  "that  there  is  an  advertise- 
ment in  the  papers  for  wagons  for  the  transport  of  stores, 
and  the  price  offered  is  excellent.  A  large  number  are 
required;  I  was  thinking  of  sending  down  my  two  teams 
— what  do  you  think?" 

"I  have  been  turning  it  over  in  my  mind,"  Mr.  Hum- 
phreys replied,  "and  I  am  inclined  also  to  offer  my 
wagons.  The  rate  of  pay  is,  as  you  say,  high,  and  they 
certainly  will  have  a  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  number 
they  require.  I  shall  not  have  need  for  mine  for  home 
purposes  for  a  considerable  time  now.  The  hot  weather 
will  soon  be  setting  in,  and  planting  is  over  for  the  sea- 
son. I  shall  of  course  go  on  digging  holes  for  my  next 
batch,  but  I  shall  not  want  them  up  until  after  the  end 
of  the  hot  season.  So  I  think,  as  I  can  spare  them,  I 
shall  hire  them  to  the  government.  I  think  we  ought  all 
to  do  what  we  can  to  aid  it  at  present,  for  every  one  agrees 
as  to  the  necessity  of  the  steps  it  is  now  taking." 

"And  do  you  think  that  there  will  be  any  fighting, 
father?"  Dick  asked  eagerly.  ' 

"That  no  one  can  say,  my  boy.  The  Zulus  are  a  proud 
as  well  as  a  brave  people,  and  believe  that  they  are  invin- 
cible. I  hardly  think  that  they  will  consent  to  break  up 
their  army  and  abandon  their  customs  at  our  dictation;  I 
should  not  be  surprised  if  it  comes  to  fighting." 

"Oh,  father,  if  you  hire  the  wagons  to  the  government, 
may  I  go  with  them?  I  can  see  that  the  Kaffirs  look 
after  the  oxen,  you  know,  and  that  everything  goes 
straight.  I  have  picked  up  a  little  Kaffir  from  Joel,  and 
can  manage  to  make  them  understand." 

"Well,   Dick,"  Mr.   Humphreys  said,  after  a  littl» 


42  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"thought,  "I  don't  know  that  I  have  any  objection  to  it; 
it  will  be  a  change  for  you,  and  of  course  there  will  be  no 
achance  of  the  wagons  being  near  if  any  fighting  goes  on. 
What  do  you  think,  Jackson?  I  suppose  your  boy  will 
Tva^nt  to  go  if  mine  does?" 

"Well,  I  don't  mind,"  Mr.  Jackson  answered.  "I 
suppose  it  will  not  be  for  long,  for  the  boy  is  useful  on 
the  farm  now.  However,  as  you  say,  it  will  be  a  change, 
and  boys  like  a  little  excitement.  Well,  I  suppose  I 
must  say  yes;  they  are  fifteen  now,  and  old  enough  to 
keep  out  of  mischief." 

The  boys  were  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  the  expedi- 
tion, and  at  once  went  out  to  talk  matters  over  together. 
'They  cordially  agreed  in  the  hope  that  the  Zulus  would 
ifight,  and  promised  themselves  that  if  possible  they 
ivould  see  something  of  it.  Their  fathers  would,  they 
thought,  allow  them  to  take  their  horses,  and  it  would 
foe  easy,  if  the  wagons  were  left  behind,  to  ride  forward 
with  the  troops,  and  see  what  went  on. 

Two  days  later  the  four  teams  started  together  for 
Pieter-Maritzburg.  Contrary  to  their  expectations  the 
boys  were  not  allowed  to  take  their  horses. 

"No,  no,  Dick,"  Mr.  Humphreys  had  said,  when  his 
son  asked  him,  "no  horses,  if  you  please;  I  know  what 
you  will  be  up  to.  Galloping  about  to  see  what  is  going 
on,  and  getting  into  all  sorts  of  mischief  and  scrapes. 
No,  if  you  go,  you  go  with  the  wagons,  to  see  that  every- 
thing goes  straight,  to  translate  orders  to  the  Kaffirs, 
and  to  learn  something  of  wagon-driving  across  a  rough 
^country.  For  between  this  place  and  Pieter-Maritzburg 
it  is  such  a  fair  road  that  you  really  learn  nothing  in  that 
way;  once  get  into  a  cross  country,  and  you  will  see  how 
"they  get  wagons  down  steep  kloofs,  across  streams,  and 
over  rough  places.  No,  you  and  Tom  will  stick  to  the 
wagons.     I  have  been  fixing  a  number  of  rings  to-day 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  4S 

underneath  one  of  them,  and  your  mother  and  the  women 
have  been  at  work,  makiug  a  sort  of  curtain  to  hook  on 
all  round;  so  at  night  you  will  have  a  comfortable  place  to 
sleep  in,  for  the  wagons  will  likely  enough  be  so  filled 
with  cases  and  stores  that  there  will  be  no  sleeping  in 
them.  You  can  take  the  double-barrel  as  well  as  your 
Winchester,  as  of  an  evening  you  may  be  able  to  get  a 
shot  sometimes  at  game,  which  will  vary  your  rations  a 
bit.  You  must  take  with  you  a  stock  of  tinned  meats 
from  Pieter-Maritzburg,  for  I  do  not  suppose  they  will 
issue  regular  rations  to  you.  So  long  as  you  are  this  side 
of  the  Tugela  you  will  be  able  to  buy  food;  but  if  the 
troops  cross  into  Zululand  you  may  have  to  depend  on 
what  you  carry." 

Tom  with  his  two  wagons  arrived  at  daybreak,  and  xhe 
four  teams  set  off  together,  Mrs.  Humphreys — who  had 
now  completely  lost  her  cough  and  was  quite  strong  and 
well — laying  many  injunctions  upon  Dick  against  expos- 
ing himself  to  any  danger,  and  Dick  promising  to  be  as 
careful  as  possible. 

Upon  their  arrival  at  Pieter-Maritzburg  the  boys  went 
at  once  to  the  government  transport-yard,  and  on  stating 
their  errand  were  shown  into  the  office  of  the  officer  in 
charge. 

"We  have  brought  down  four  teams  of  sixteen  oxen 
each,"  Dick  said,  "from  near  Newcastle,  to  be  hired  to 
the  government." 

"That  is  right,  my  lads,"  the  officer  said,  "we  have 
room  for  plenty  more.  This  is  the  form  of  contract. 
You  engage  to  serve  the  government  by  the  month;  you 
bear  any  damages  which  may  take  place  from  wear  and 
tear  of  the  roads,  breakdowns,  and  the  other  ordinary 
accidents  of  travel;  the  government  engages  to  make 
good  any  loss  or  damage  which  may  occur  from  the 
action  of  the  enemy.    This  is  not,"  he  said,  smiling, 


44  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"likely  to  take  place,  but  still  those  are  the  terms. 
Have  you  any  authority  from  your  fathers,  to  whom,  I 
suppose,  the  teams  belong,  to  sign  the  contracts  for 
them?', 

f  "Yes,  sir,"  Dick  said.  "Here  is  a  paper  from  my 
father,  and  one  from  Tom  Jackson's  father,  saying  that 
they  agree  to  be  bound  by  the  terms  of  the  contract,  and 
that  they  authorize  us  to  sign  in  their  names.  We  are 
going  with  the  wagons,  sir,  to  look  after  the  Kaffirs." 

''Well,"  the  officer  said,  "you  can  do  as  you  like  about 
that;  but  if  you  speak  Kaffir  it  will  be  useful — only, 
mind,  you  will  have  to  provision  yourselves.  From  the 
day  the  teams  are  taken  up  rations  of  mealies  will  bo 
served  to  the  Kaffirs  at  the  various  halting-places,  but 
there  is  no  provision  for  rations  of  white  men.  The  cat- 
tle, too,  will  be  fed,  but  you  will  have  to  see  to  your- 


"Yes,  sir;  we  expected  to  do  so." 

"Well,  you  had  better  fetch  the  teams  up  to  the  yard. 
I  must  inspect  and  pass  them  before  they  are  taken  up. 
Bring  them  round  at  once;  then  they  will  be  loaded 
to-night,  and  start  at  daybreak  to-morrow." 

The  teams  were  brought  round  to  the  yard,  and  im- 
mediately passed  by  the  officer,  who  indeed  remarked 
upon  the  excellence  of  the  animals.  The  Kaffirs  were 
directed  to  outspan  or  unyoke  the  oxen,  for  whom 
rations  of  hay  and  grain  were  at  once  issued. 

The  boys  returned  to  the  town  and  made  their  pur- 
chases, which  were  carried  down  by  two  Kaffirs  and 
stored  in  the  wagons,  which  were  already  in  process  of 
being  loaded — two  with  boxes  of  ammunition*  the  others, 
with  miscellaneous  stores  for  the  troops.  They  slept  at 
an  hotel,  and  next  morning  at  daybreak  presented  them- 
selves at  the  yard.  The  Kaffirs  were  already  harnessing 
up  the  oxen,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  four  wagons* 
with  sixteen  others,  started  for  the  Tugela. 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.      .  45 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  December.  Early  in  the 
month  commissioners  had  been  sent  to  Cetewayo  with 
the  terms  decided  upon  by  Sir  Bartle  Frere.  The  first 
clauses  of  the  document  contained  the  settlement  of  the 
disputed  frontier,  and  fines  were  fixed  to  be  paid  by  the 
chiefs  whose  men  had  committed  forays  across  the 
"borders;  it  then  went  on  to  demand  that  the  whole  of 
€etewayo's  army  should  at  once  be  disbanded;  freedom 
of  marriage  was  to  be  allowed,  when  the  parties  thereto 
were  of  age;  justice  was  to  be  impartially  administered; 
missionaries  to  be  allowed  to  reside  in  the  Zulu  country; 
British  residents  to  be  appointed;  all  disputes  between 
Zulus  and  Europeans  to  be  referred  to  the  king  and  resi- 
dent; and  no  expulsion  from  Zulu  territory  was  to  be 
carried  into  effect  without  the  distinct  approval  of  the 
resident. 

It  was  intimated  to  the  king  that  unless  these  terms 
were  accepted  by  the  11th  of  January  the  army  would  at 
once  invade  the  country.  Few  men  expected  that  the 
Zulu  king  would  tamely  submit  to  conditions  which 
would  deprive  him  of  all  the  military  power  in  which  he 
delighted,  and  would  reduce  him  to  a  state  of.  something 
like  dependency  upon  the  British. 

During  the  month  of  December  General  Thesiger,  who 
commanded  the  British  forces  in  South  Africa,  made 
every  effort  to  prepare  for  hostilities.  The  regiments 
which  were  at  the  Cape  were  brought  round  by  sea;  a 
"brigade  of  seamen  and  marines  was  Ian*3 3d  from  the  ships 
of  war;  several  corps  of  irregular*  ^orse  were  raised 
among  the  colonists;  and  regiments  of  natives  were  en- 
rolled. Before  the  date  by  which  the  king  was  to  send 
in  his  answer  the  troops  were  assembled  along  the 
frontier  in  the  following  disposition: 


46  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

No.  1  Column. 
(Headquarters,  Thring's  Post,  Lower  Tugela.) 

Commandant. — Colonel  C.  K.  Pearson,  the  Buffs. 

Naval  Brigade. — One  hundred  and  seventy  bluejackets 
and  marines  of  H. M.S.  Active  (with  one  Gatling  and 
two  seven-pounder  guns),  under  Captain  Campbell,  K.N, 

Royal  Artillery. — Two  seven-pounder  guns  and  rocket 
battery,  under  Lieutenant  W.  N.  Lloyd,  R.A. 

Infantry. — Second  battalion,  Third  Buffs,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  H.  Parnell. 

Mounted  Infantry. — One  hundred  men  under  Captain 
Barrow,  Nineteenth  Hussars. 

Volunteers. — Durban  Rifles,  Natal  Hussars,  Stanger 
Rifles,  Victoria  Rifles,  Alexandra  Rifles.  Average,  forty- 
men  per  corps — all  mounted. 

Native  Contingent. — One  thousand  men  under  Major 
Graves,  the  Buffs. 

No.  2  Column-. 

(Headquarters,  Helpmahaar,  near  Rorke's  Drift.) 

Commandant. — Colonel  Glyn,  first  battalion,  Twenty- 
fourth  Regiment. 

Royal  Artillery — N.  battery,  fifth  brigade,  Royal  Artil- 
lery (with  seven-pounder  guns),  under  Major  A.  Harness, 
B.A. 

Infantry. — Seven  companies  first  battalion,  Twenty- 
fourth  Regiment,  and  second  battalion,  Twenty-fourth 
Begiment,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Degacher. 

Natal  Mounted  Police. — Commanded  by  Major  Dart- 
nell. 

Volunteers. — Natal  Carabineers,  Buffalo  Border  Guard, 
Newcastle  Mounted  Rifles — all  mounted;  average,  forty 
an  en* 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  4? 

Native  Contingent.— One  thousand  men,  under  Com- 
mandant Lonsdale,  late  Seventy-fourth  Highlanders. 

No.  3  Column. 

(Headquarters,   Utrecht.) 

Commandant. — Colonel  Evelyn   "Wood,    V.C.,    C.B., 

fortieth  Regiment. 

Eoyal  Artillery. — Eleventh  battery,  seventh  brigade, 
B.A.  (with  four  seven-pounder  guns),  under  Major  E. 
Tremlett,  R.A. 

Infantry. — Eirst  battalion  Thirteenth  Kegiment,  and 
Ninetieth  Kegiment. 

Mounted  Infantry. — One  hundred  men,  under  Major 
J.  C.  Russell,  Twelfth  Lancers. 

Frontier  Light  Horse. — Two  hundred  strong,  under 
Major  Kedvers  Buller,  C.B.,  Sixtieth  Rifles. 

Volunteers. — The  Kaffrarian  Vanguard,  Commandant 
Schermbuicker,  one  hundred  strong. 

Native  Contingent. — The  Swazis,  our  native  allies, 
some  five  thousand  strong. 

In  the  first  fortnight  of  their  engagement  the  wagons 
traveled  backward  and  forward  between  Pieter-Maritz- 
burg  and  Grey  Town,  which  for  the  time  formed  the  base 
for  the  column  of  Colonel  Glyn.  The  distance  of  the 
town  from  the  capital  was  forty-five  miles,  and  as  the 
wagons  traveled  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  miles  a  day,  they 
twelve  days  were  in  accomplishing  two  double  journeys. 
When  they  were  loaded  up  the  third  time  they  received 
orders  to  go  straight  through  to  the  headquarters  of  the 
column  at  Helpmakaar.  The  boys  were  pleased  at  the 
■change,  for  the  road  as  far  as  Grey  Town  was  a  good  one. 

They  reached  Grey  Town  for  the  third  time  on  the 
3d  of  January.  Here  they  found  the  place  in  a  state  of 
great  excitement,  a  mounted  messenger  having  arrived 


48  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

that  morning  with  the  news  that  Oetewayo  had  refused 
all  demands  and  that  large  bodies  of  the  Zulus  were 
marching  toward  the  frontier  to  oppose  the  various 
columns  collecting  there. 

fe  On  arriving  at  the  government-yard  the  lads  received 
orders  at  once  to  unload  the  wagons  and  to  take  on  the 
stores  of  the  second  battalion  of  the  Twenty-fourth, 
which  was  to  march  from  Grey  Town  the  next  morning. 
The  start  was  delayed  until  the  afternoon,  as  sufficient 
wagons  had  not  arrived  to  take  on  their  baggage..  The 
road  was  rough,  and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  before 
they  arrived  at  the  Mooin  Eiver. 

The  weather  had  set  in  wet,  the  river  was  in  flood,  and 
the  oxen  had  immense  difficulty  in  getting  the  wagons 
across.  Two  teams  had  to  be  attached  to  each  wagon, 
and  even  then  it  was  as  much  as  they  could  do  to  get 
across,  for  the  water  was  so  high  that  it  nearly  took 
them  off  their  feet. 

The  troops  were  taken  over  in  punts,  and,  after  cross- 
ing, a  halt  was  made  for  the  night. 

After  seeing  the  cattle  outspanned  and  attended  to,, 
the  boys  wandered  away  among  the  troops,  as  they  were 
to  start  at  daybreak,  and  it  was  long  past  dark  before  all 
•were  over.  The  tents  were  not  pitched,  and  the  troops 
bivouacked  in  the  open.  Brushwood  was  collected  from 
the  rough  ground  around,  and  blazing  tires  were  soon 
burning  merrily.  It  was  all  new  and  very  amusing  to> 
the  boys.  The  troops  were  in  high  spirits  at  the  prospect 
of  an  early  brush  with  the  enemy,  and  songs  were  sung 
around  the  fires  until  the  bugle  rang  out  the  orderr 
"Lights  out/'  when  the  men  wrapped  themselves  in  their 
blankets  and  lay  down,  and  the  boys  retired  to  their  snug 
shelter  under  the  wagons,  where  their  Kaffirs  had,  as 
usual,  laid  piles  of  brushwood  to  serve  as  their  beds. 

The  next  morning  they  were  off  early,  and  reached  th© 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  49 

Tugela  after  five  hours'  march.  This  river  does  not  here 
form  the  frontier  between  Zululand  and  Natal,  this  being 
marked  by  the  Buffalo — a  much  larger  and  more  inu- 
portant  stream — from  the  point  where  this  falls  into  the 
Tugela,  some  fifteen  miles  below  the  spot  where  they 
crossed  the  latter  river,  which  here  runs  toward  the  south- 
west. 

Two  more  days'  marching  took  the  column  to  Help- 
makaar.  The  weather  was  wet  and  misty,  and  the  troops 
now  marched  in  close  order,  with  flankers  thrown  out, 
for  the  road  ran  parallel  with  the  Buffalo,  about  five 
miles  distant,  and  it  was  thought  possible  that  the  Zulus 
might  cross  the  river  and  commence  hostilities.  A  cor- 
don of  sentinels  had,  however,  been  placed  all  along  the 
river  from  Eorke's  Drift  down  to  the  point  of  junction 
of  the  Buffalo  and  Tugela;  below  the  stream  was  so  wide 
that  there  was  no  fear  of  the  Zulus  effecting  a  crossing. 

Most  of  the  troops  which  had  been  stationed  at  Help- 
makaar  had  already  marched  up  to  Eorke's  Drift,  and 
after  staying  two  days  at  Helpmakaar  the  second  bat- 
talion of  the  Twenty-fourth  marched  to  that  place, 
where  the  first  battalion  of  the  same  regiment  were 
already  encamped. 

Two  days  later  the  remainder  of  the  force  destined  to 
act  under  Colonel  Glyn  had  assembled  at  Eorke's  Drift 
— the  term  "drift"  meaning  a  ford  across  a  river. 

This  column  was  the  strongest  of  those  which  had  been 
formed  for  the  simultaneous  invasion  of  Zululand,  and 
General  Thesiger  was  himself  upon  the  spot  to  accom- 
pany it.  Many  of  the  wagons  which  had  brought  up 
stores  were  sent  back  to  Grey  Town  for  further  supplies; 
but  those  of  the  boys,  being  laden  with  the  spare  ammu- 
nition and  baggage  of  a  portion  of  the  Twenty-fourth, 
were  to  accompany  the  column  in  its  advance. 

The  last  two  days  of  the  term  granted  to  Cetewayo  to 


50  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

accede  to  our  terms  were  full  of  excitement;  it  had  been 
reported,  indeed,  that  the  king  was  determined  upon 
resistance,  but  it  was  thought  probable  that  he  might 
yield  at  the  last  moment,  and  the  road  leading  down  to 
the  drift  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  was  anxiously 
watched. 

As  the  hours  went  on  and  no  messenger  was  seen  ap- 
proaching, the  spirits  of  the  troops  rose,  for  there  is 
nothing  that  soldiers  hate  so  much  as,  after  enduring 
the  fatigues  preparatory  to  the  opening  of  a  campaign,, 
the  long  marches,  the  wet  nights,  and  other  privations 
and  hardships,  for  the  enemy  to  yield  without  a  blow. 
Men  who  had  been  in  the  campaigns  of  Abyssinia  and 
Ashanti  told  their  comrades  how  on  both  occasions  the 
same  uncertainty  had  prevailed  as  to  the  intentions  of 
the  enemy  up  to  the  last  moment;  and  the  fact  that  in 
both  campaigns  the  enemy  had  at  the  last  moment 
resolved  l  to  fight  was  hailed  as  a  sort  of  presage  that  a 
similar  determination  would  be  arrived  at  by  the  Zulu 
king. 

To  the  boys  these  days  passed  very  pleasantly;  they 
had  nothing  to  do  but  to  wander  about  the  eamp  and 
watch  the  proceedings.  There  was  a  parade  of  the  two 
native  regiments  before  the  general,  who  was  much 
pleased  with  their  appearance,  and  who  exhorted  them 
on  no  account  to  kill  women,  children,  or  prisoners. 

Among  these  native  regiments  were  curiously  many 
Zulus;  for  great  numbers  of  this  people  had  at  various 
times  been  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  Natal,  to  avoid  the 
destruction  threatened  them  by  their  despotic  king,  and 
these  were  now  eager  to  fight  against  their  late  monarch. 

Some  of  the  bodies  of  volunteer  horse  were  very  smart 
and  soldier-like  in  their  appearance.  They  were  for  the 
most  part  composed  of  young  farmers,  and  Dick  and  Tom 
bitterly  regretted  that  they  had  not  been  a  few  years 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  51 

older,  in  which  case,  instead  of  looking  after  a  lot  of 
bulls,  as  Dick  contemptuously  said,  they  might  have  been 
riding  in  the  ranks  of  the  volunteers. 

By  the  regulars  the  two  days  were  spent  in  cleaning 
their  arms  and  accouterments,  whose  burnish  and  clean- 
liness had  suffered  much  in  the  long,  wet  march,  and  from 
the  bivouacs  on  the  damp  ground. 

After  marching  from  Grey  Town  with  the  Twenty- 
fourth  the  boys  had  been  placed  regularly  on  the  roll  of 
the  army  as  conductors,  and  although  they  drew  no 
pay,  had  now  the  advantage  of  receiving  rations  as  white 
men.  They  had  upon  the  line  of  march  frequently 
chatted  with  the  young  officers  of  the  regiment,  who, 
finding  that  they  were  the  sons  of  well-to-do  farmers  and 
were  cheery,  high-spirited  lads,  took  to  them  very  much, 
and  invited  them  of  an  evening  to  join  them  round  the 
campfire. 

The  last  day  came,  and  still  no  messenger  arrived  from 
Cetewayo,  and  in  the  evening  orders  were  issued  that  the 
column  should  at  daybreak  pass  the  drift  and  advance 
into  the  enemy's  country.  The  troops  lay  down  that 
night  in  high  spirits,  little  dreaming  of  the  disaster  which 
was  to  befall  them  in  the  campaign  which  they  thought  of 
so  lightly. 


5^  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS, 


CHAPTER  V. 

ISANDULA. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  January  11  the 
bugle  sounded  the  reveille,  and  the  troops  prepared  to 
cross  the  Buffalo.  Tents  were  struck,  baggage  piled  on 
the  wagons,  and  the  regiments  stood  to  arms  at  half-past 
four.  The  native  contingent  crossed  first.  The  cavalry 
brigade  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Eussell  placed  their 
ammunition  on  a  pontoon  and  rode  over.  The  river  was 
in  some  places  up  to  the  necks  of  the  infantry,  and  even 
the  cavalry  were  nearly  swept  away.  The  first  and 
second  battalions  of  the  Twenty-fourth  crossed  on  the 
pontoons.  The  third  regiment  of  the  native  contingent 
threw  out  skirmishers,  but  could  find  no  trace  of  the 
enemy. 

A  heavy  storm  had  come  on  at  daybreak,  but  this  left  off 
at  nine  o'clock.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Buller,  commanding 
the  Frontier  Light  Horse,  now  rode  in  from  the  camp  of 
Colonel  Wood's  force,  which  had  crossed  the  Blood  Eiver 
and  had  encamped  inZululandat  a  spot  about  thirty-two 
miles  distant.  Lord  Chelmsford  rode  over  there  with  an 
escort  of  the  Natal  Mounted  Police  and  the  Natal  Cara- 
bineers, who  on  their  return  captured  three  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  several  horses,  and  a  number  of  sheep  and 
goats.  During  the  day  the  wagons,  oxen,  and  ambu- 
lances were  brought  across  the  river  on  the  pontoons. 

Early  next  morning  the  first  battalion  of  the  First 
Native  Regiment,  four  companies  of  the  first  battalion  of 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  53 

the  Twenty-fourth,  and  three  hundred  of  the  irregular 
horse  started  on  a  reconnaissance  toward  the  kraal  of 
Sirayo,  the  chief  whose  sons  had  been  the  greatest 
offenders  in  the  raids  into  Natal.  The  cavalry  were 
thrown  out  in  skirmishing  order,  and  after  marching 
nine  miles  they  descended  into  the  slope  of  the  valley  in 
which  Sirayo's  kraals  were  situated.  The  enemy  were 
heard  singing  their  war-songs  in  one  of  the  ravines,  and 
the  Third  Native  Regiment  advanced  against  them,  with 
the  Twenty-fourth  in  reserve.  The  Zulus  opened  fire  as 
they  approached,  and  so  heavy  was  this  that  many  of  our 
natives  turned  and  ran;  they  were  rallied,  however,  and 
■with  a  rush  carried  the  caves  in  which  the  Zulus  were 
lurking. 

In  the  meantime  the  Twenty-fourth's  men  had  moved 
round  to  the  head  of  the  ravine,  and  cut  off  the  enemy's 
retreat.  There  was  a  skirmish  between  the  cavalry  and 
some  mounted  Zulus,  and  six  of  these,  including  a  son  of 
Sirayo„  were  killed.  Thirty  horses  and  four  hundred 
head  of  cattle  were  captured. 

The  next  day  was  spent  in  cleaning  up  arms  and  ac- 
couterments,  after  the  heavy  rain  which  had  fallen  the 
preceding  week,  and  several  days  were  spent  in  making 
the  roads  passable  for  the  wagons. 

On  the  20th  the  force  moved  forward,  leaving  one 
company  of  the  second  battalion  of  the  Twenty -fourth, 
under  Lieutenant  Bromhead,  with  some  engineers  and  a 
few  natives  to  guard  the  ford  and  look  after  the  pon- 
toons, and  garrison  the  store  and  hospital.  The  column 
camped  at  Isandula,  or,  as  it  is  more  properly  called, 
Isandwhlana,  ten  miles  distant  from  Eorke's  Drift.  A 
portion  of  the  road  was  extremely  rough,  and  the  wagons 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  their  way  forward. 

The  spot  selected  for  a  camping-ground  was  a  wide  flat 
valley,  with  hills  on  the  left  and  undulating  ground  on 


54  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

the  right;  almost  in  the  center  rose  an  isolated  hill,  per- 
pendicular on  three  sides,  and  very  steep  and  difficult 
on  the  fourth.  The  camp  was  pitched  in  front  of  this: 
hill,  looking  down  the  valley,  with  a  mile  of  open  coun- 
try between  it  and  the  hills  on  the  left. 

The  camp  was  formed  in  the  following  order:  on  the 
left  were  the  two  battalions  of  the  Third  Native  Eegi- 
ment;  the  Eoyal  Artillery  were  in  the  center;  next  to 
these  was  the  second  battalion  of  the  Twenty-fourth. 
The  line  was  then  taken  up  by  the  cavalry,  with  the  first 
battalion  of  the  Twenty-fourth  on  the  right  of  the  whole. 
The  wagons  were  all  placed  between  the  camp  and  the 
hill  at  the  back. 

By  a  strange  and  criminal  neglect  no  attempt  was 
made  to  intrench  this  position,  although  it  was  known 
that  the  column  might  at  any  moment  be  attacked  by 
the  Zulus. 

It  was  determined  that  the  greater  part  of  the  force 
should  advance  the  next  morning  toward  a.  stronghold 
ten  miles  distant  from  the  camp,  straight  down  the  val- 
ley. News  had  come  that  a  large  number  of  Zulus  were 
at  this  spot,  and  it  was  supposed  that  these  would  fight. 
The  column  consisted  of  eight  companies  of  each  of  the 
battalions  of  the  Third  Native  Eegiment,  with  the  greater 
part  of  the  cavalry. 

The  force  started  early  and  marched  for  three  hours 
down  the  valley.  Here  they  came  on  much  cultivated 
ground,  but  the  kraals  had  been  deserted  by  the  enemy. 
At  four  o'clock,  as  the  cavalry  were  skirmishing  at  a  dis- 
tance on  both  flanks,  they  came  upon  a  body  of  Zulus 
about  two  thousand  strong.  The  horse  fell  back  upon 
the  infantry,  but,  as  it  was  now  late,  Major  Dartnell  de- 
cided to  encamp  for  the  night,  and  to  attack  in  the 
morning.  A  messenger  was  dispatched  into  camp  with 
a  report  of  the  day's  proceedings,  and  some  provisions 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  55 

and  blankets  were  sent  out,  with  news  that  the  general 
would  join  the  troops  with  reinforcements  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

At  daybreak  he  left  the  camp  at  Isandula  with  seven 
companies  of  the  second  battalion  of  the  Twenty-fourth, 
and  orders  were  sent  to  Colonel  Durnford,  at  Korke's 
Drift,  to  bring  up  two  hundred  mounted  men  and  his 
rocket-battery,  which  had  reached  that  spot. 

The  Zulus  were  seen  in  all  directions,  and  a  good  deal 
of  skirmishing  took  place.  By  a  gross  neglect,  equal  to 
that  which  was  manifested  in  the  omission  to  fortify  the 
camp,  no  steps  whatever  were  taken  to  keep  up  commu- 
nication between  the  column,  which  now  consisted  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  troops,  and  those  who  remained  at 
the  camp  at  Isandula.  No  signalers  were  placed  on  the 
hills,  no  mounted  videttes  were  posted,  and  the  column 
marched  on,  absorbed  in  its  own  skirmishes  with  the 
enemy,  as  if  the  general  in  command  had  forgotten  the 
very  existence  of  the  force  at  Isandula.  Even  in  the 
middle  of  the  day,  when  the  firing  of  cannon  told  that 
the  camp  was  attacked,  no  steps  were  taken  to  ascertain 
whether  reinforcements  were  needed  there,  and  it  was 
not  until  hours  after  all  was  over  that  a  party  was  dis- 
patched to  ascertain  what  had  taken  place  at  the  camp. 

Upon  the  day  on  which  the  two  native  regiments 
advanced  the  two  boys  felt  the  time  hang  heavy  on  their 
hands;  they  would  have  liked  to  take  their  guns  and  go 
out  to  shoot  some  game  for  their  dinners,  but  all  shoot- 
ing had  been  strictly  forbidden,  as  the  sound  of  a  gun 
might  cause  a  false  alarm.  After  hanging  about  the 
camp  for  an  hour  or  two  Dick  proposed  that  they  should 
climb  the  hill  which  rose  so  steeply  behind  them. 

"If  the  columns  have  any  fighting,"  he  said,  "we 
should  be  sure  to  see  it  from  the  top." 

Borrowing  a  telescope  from  one  of  the  officers  of  the 


56  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

volunteer  cavalry/  they  skirted  round  to  the  back  of  the 
hill,  and  there  began  their  climb.  It  was  very  steep,  but 
after  some  hard  work  they  reached  the  summit,  and  then 
crossed  to  the  front  and  sat  down  in  a  comfortable  niche 
in  the  rock,  whence  they  could-command  a  view  far  down 
the  valley.  They  could  see  the  two  battalions  of  infan- 
try marching  steadily  along,  and  the  cavalry  moving 
among  the  hills  and  undulations  on  both  flanks.  They 
had  taken  some  biscuits  and  a  bottle  of  beer  up  with 
them,  and  spent  the  whole  day  on  the  lookout.  The 
view  which  they  gained  was  a  very  extensive  one,  as  the 
hill  was  far  higher  than  those  on  either  side,  and  in  many 
places  they  could  see  small  bodies  of  the  enemy  moving 
about.     At  sunset  they  descended. 

"I  vote  we  go  up  again,"  Tom  said  the  next  morning. 
"The  general  has  gone  forward  with  most  of  the  white 
troops,  and  there  is  sure  to  be  fighting  to-day.  We  shall 
have  nothing  to  do,  and  may  as  well  go  up  there  as  any- 
where else." 

After  the  general's  departure  there  remained  in  camp 
five  companies  of  the  first  battalion  of  the  Twenty-fourth, 
and  one  of  the  second  battalion,  two  fieldpieces  with 
their  artillery-men,  and  some  mounted  men. 

Just  as  the  boys  were  starting  at  eight  in  the  morning 
there  was  a  report  in  the  camp  that  the  Zulus  were  gath- 
ering in  force  to  the  north  of  them.  This  quickened 
the  boys'  movements,  and  half  an  hour  later  they  gained 
the  top  of  the  hill,  and  from  their  old  position  looked 
down  upon  the  camp  lying  many  hundred  feet  below 
them.  There  was  considerable  bustle  going  on,  and  the 
Kaffir  drivers  were  hastily  collecting  the  cattle  which 
were  grazing  round,  and  were  driving  them  into  camp. 

"There  is  going  to  be  a  fight!"  Dick  exclaimed,  as 
they  gained  their  lookout;  "there  are  crowds  of  ^ulus 
out  there  on  the  plains." 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  57 

Could  the  boys  have  looked  over  the  hills  a  mile  away 
to  their  right,  they  would  have  seen  that  the  number  of 
Zulus  down  in  the  valley  in  front  was  but  a  small  pro- 
portion of  those  gathering  for  the  attack;  for  fifteen 
thousand  men  had  moved  up  during  the  night,  and  were 
lying  quietly  behind  those  hills,  three  or  four  thousand 
more  were  taking  the  road  to  Rorke's  Drift,  to  cut  off 
any  who  might  escape  from  the  camp,  while  as  many 
more  were  showing  down  the  valley.  Altogether  some 
twenty-four  thousand  of  the  enemy  had  gathered  round 
the  little  body  in  the  camp.  To  the  boys,  however,  only 
the  party  down  the  valley  was  visible. 

At  eleven  o'clock  Colonel  Durnford  came  into  camp 
with  his  three  hundred  and  fifty  mounted  men  from 
Eorke's  Drift,  and  advanced  Avith  them  to  meet  the 
enemy  threatening  the  left  flank,  while  two  companies 
of  the  first  battalion  of  the  Twenty-fourth  moved  out  to 
attack  their  right.  The  Zulus,  now  reinforced  from 
behind  the  hills,  moved  forward  steadily,  and  Colonel 
Durnford  with  his  cavalry  could  do  little  to  arrest  them. 
For  an  hour  the  infantry  stood  their  ground,  and  the 
two  fieldpieces  swept  lines  through  the  thick  ranks  of 
the  enemy.  The  Zulus  advanced  in  the  form  of  a  great 
crescent. 

"Things  look  very  bad,  Dick,"  Tom  said;  "what  do 
you  think  we  had  better  do?" 

"I  think  we  had  better  stay  where  we  are,  Tom,  and 
wait  and  see  what  occurs;  we  have  a  splendid  view  of  the 
fight,  and  if  our  fellows  meet  them  we  shall  see  it  all*, 
but  if — oh,  look  there,  Tom!" 

Over  the  hills  on  the  left  thousands  of  Zulus  were  seen 
pouring  down. 

"This  is  terrible,  Tom.  Look  here,  I  will  crawl  along 
over  the  crest,  so  as  not  to  be  seen,  and  look  behind  to 
see  if  it  is  clear  there.     If  it  is,  I  vote  we  make  a  bolt. 


gg  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

It  is  of  no  use  our  thinking  of  going  down  for  a  couple 
of  horses;  the  Zulus  will  be  in  the  camp  long  before  we 
.  could  get  there." 

Five  minutes  later  he  again  joined  his  friend. 

"They  are  coming  up  behind  too,  Tom.  They  have 
really  surrounded  us.     Look,  they  are  close  to  the  camp!'* 

It  was  a  scene  of  frightful  confusion.  Nothing  could 
be  seen  of  the  companies  of  the  Twenty-fourth,  which 
had  gone  out  to  meet  the  Zulus.  The  great  wave  of  the 
advancing  army  had  swept  over  them.  Below,  the  panic 
was  complete  and  terrible,  and  soldiers,  native  drivers, 
and  camp-followers  were  running  wildly  in  all  directions. 

One  party  of  the  Twenty-fourth's  men,  about  sixty 
strong,  had  gathered  together  and  stood  like  a  little 
island.  The  incessant  fire  of  their  rifles  covered  them 
with  white  smoke,  while  a  dense  mass  of  Zulus  pressed 
upon  them.  Many  of  the  soldiers  were  flying  for  their 
lives;  others  again,  when  they  found  that  their  retreat 
was  cut  off,  had  gathered  in  groups  and  were  fighting 
desperately  to  the  last.  Here  and  there  mounted  men 
strove  to  cut  their  way  though  the  Zulus,  while  numbers 
of  fugitives  could  be  seen  making  for  the  river,  hotly 
pursued  by  crowds  of  the  enemy,  who  speared  them  as 
they  ran. 

"It  is  frightful,  frightful,  Tom!  I  cannot  bear  to 
look  at  it." 

For  a  few  minutes  the  fight  continued.  The  crack  of 
the  rifles  was  heard  less  frequently  now.  The  exulting 
yell  of  the  Zulus  rose  louder  and  louder.  On  the  right 
Colonel  Durnford  with  his  cavalry  essayed  to  make  one 
last  stand  to  check  the  pursuit  of  the  Zulus  and  give 
time  for  the  fugitives  to  escape;  but  it  was  in  vain, 
showers  of  assegais  fell  among  them,  and  the  Zulu  crowd 
surged  round. 

For  a  time  the  boys  thought  all  were  lost,  but  a  few 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  59 

horsemen  cut  their  way  through  the  crowd  and  rode  for 
the  river.  The  artillery  had  long  before  ceased  to  fire, 
and  the  gunners  lay  speared  by  the  cannon.  The  first 
shot  had  been  fired  at  half -past  eleven,  by  one  o'clock  all 
Was  over.  The  last  white  man  had  fallen,  and  the  Zulus 
swarmed  like  a  vast  body  of  ants  over  the  camp  in  search 
of  plunder. 

Horror-stricken  and  sick,  the  boys  shrank  back  against 
the  rock  behind  them,  and  for  some  time  sobbed  bitterly 
over  the  dreadful  massacre  which  had  taken  place  before 
their  eyes.  But  after  a  time  they  began  to  talk  more 
quietly. 

"Will  they  come  up  here,  do  you  think,  Dick?** 

"No,  I  don't  think  so,"  Dick  replied.  "They  could 
hardly  have  seen  115  come  up  here,  even  if  they  had  been 
on  the  lookout  on  the  hills,  and  as  they  reached  the 
back  9f  the  mountain  before  the  camp  was  taken,  they 
will  Know  that  nobody  could  have  come  up  afterward 
Lie  back  here;  we  cannot  possibly  be  seen  from  below. 
They  will  be  too  much  taken  up  with  plundering  the 
camp  to  think  ot  searcnmg  *his  hill.  What  on  earth  is 
the  general  doing? — I  can  see  his  troops  right  ^way  on 
the  plain.  Surely  he  must  have  heard  the  guns?  Our 
only  hope  now  is  that  when  he  hears  it  he  will  march 
straight  back;  but  even  if  he  does  I  fear  that  the  Zulus 
will  be  too  strong  for  him.  The  whole  force  which  he 
has  with  him  is  no  stronger  than  that  which  has  been 
crushed  here,  and  I  don't  expect  the  native  regiments 
can  make  much  stand  if  attacked  by  such  a  tremen- 
dously strong  force." 

So  long  as  the  daylight  lasted  the  boys,  peering  occa- 
sionally over,  could  see  the  Zulus  at  the  work  of  plun- 
dering. All  the  sacks  and  barrels  were  taken  from  the 
wagons  and  cut  or  broken  open,  each  man  taking  as 
much  as  he  could  carry  of  the  tea,  sugar,  flour,  and  other 


60  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

necessaries;  many  of  the  yoke-oxen  were  assegaied  at 
once,  and  cut  up  and  eaten,  the  rest  being  driven  off 
toward  the  north  by  a  party  of  warriors. 

At  nightfall  the  tents  were  set  on  fire;  they  soon 
burned  out,  and  the  boys  could  no  longer  see  what  was 
taking  place.  Eising  from  the  shelter,  they  walked  back 
to  the  other  side  of  the  crest. 

"I  can  hear  firing  now,"  Dick  said;  "it  seems  to  me 
that  it  is  back  at  Eorke's  Drift." 

They  were  soon  sure  that  they  were  not  mistaken;  as 
it  grew  darker  a  flittering  light  was  seen  in  that  direction, 
and  a  continued  fire  of  distant  musketry  was  heard. 
Later  on  there  was  a  broad  glare  in  the  sky. 

"I  fear  it  is  all  over  there  too,"  Dick  said,  "and  that 
the  place  has  been  burned." 

Still,  however,  the  firing  continued  as  heavy  as  ever, 
and  long  on  into  the  night  the  lads  sat  listening  to  it. 
At  last  they  fell  asleep,  and  when  they  awoke  the  sun 
was  already  high.  Thus  they  missed  their  chance  of 
escape. 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  Lord  Chelmsford's 
force,  hearing  at  last  what  had  happened,  marched  back 
into  the  camp,  and  before  day  had  fairly  broken  con- 
tinued their  way  down  to  Korke's  Drift.  The  defenders 
here,  a  little  garrison  under  Lieutenant  Bromhead  of 
the  Twenty-fourth  and  Chard  of  the  Eoyal  Artillery,  had 
made  a  heroic  defense  against  some  four  thousand  of 
the  enemy.  With  mealie  bags  and  boxes  they  built  up  a 
breastwork,  and  this  they  held  all  night,  in  spite  of  the 
desperate  efforts  of  the  Zulus  to  capture  it.  The  hos- 
pital, which  stood  at  one  end  of  the  intrenchment,  was 
carried  and  burned  by  the  Zulus,  but  the  little  garrison 
held  out  till  morning  in  an  inner  intrenchment  round 
the  storehouse. 

Here  was  seen  what  could  be  done  in  the  way  of 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  61 

defense  by  the  aid  of  hastily  thrown  up  intrenchments; 
and  had  breastworks  been  erected  at  Isandula,  as  they 
ought  to  have  been  the  instant  the  troops  arrived  there, 
and  still  more  so  when  the  major  portion  of  the  column 
marched  away,  the  force  there,  small  as  it  was,  would 
doubtless  have  made  a  successful  resistance.  Even  had 
the  step  been  taken,  when  the  Zulus  were  first  seen 
approaching,  of  forming  a  laager — that  is,  of  drawing  up 
the  wagons  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square — at  the  foot  of 
the-- steep  mountain,  the  disaster  might  have  been 
averted.  It  may  be  said  that  the  massacre  of  Isandula 
was  due  entirely  to  the  over-confidence  and  carelessness 
of  the  officers  in  command  of  the  column. 

The  boys  on  waking  crawled  back  cautiously  to  a  spot 
where  they  could  obtain  a  view  over  the  valley,  and,  to 
their  surprise,  the  force  which,  on  the  afternoon  before,, 
they  had  seen  out  there  had  entirely  disappeared.  Many 
bodies  of  Zulus  were  seen  moving  about,  but  there  was 
no  trace  of  the  white  troops.  They  made  their  way  to 
the  back  of  the  hill,  and  then,  to  their  horror,  saw  the 
column  moving  away  from  them,  and  already  halfway 
on  its  road  to  Korke's  Drift. 

Their  first  impulse  was  to  get  up  and  start  off  in  a  run 
in  pursuit  of  it,  but  this  feeling  lasted  but  a  moment,  for 
between  the  hill  and  the  column  many  scattered  parties 
of  Zulus  were  to  be  seen.  The  boys  looked  blankly  at 
each  other.  It  was  but  too  clear  that  they  were  cut  off 
and  alone  in  the  enemy's  country. 

"Whatever  shall  we  do,  Dick?" 

"I  have  not  the  least  idea,  Tom.  At  any  rate  there  is 
nothing  to  be  done  at  present.  We  should  be  assegaied 
in  a  moment  if  we  were  to  go  down;  let's  go  back  to  our 
old  lookout." 

After  much  talk,  they  agreed  that  it  would  be  hopeless 
to  attempt  to  make  south  and  cross  the  Buffalo,  as  many 


$2  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

*>f  the  fugitives  had  done.  There  were  sure  to  be  strong 
bodies  of  Zulus  along  the  river,  and  even  if  they  passed 
these  without  detection  they  would  be  unable  to  cross  the 
river,  as  they  would  find  no  ford  and  neither  of  them  was 
able  to  swim. 

There  were  great  numbers  of  Zulus  in  the  camp  below, 
and  these  seemed  to  be  pursuing  the  work  of  plundering 
more  minutely  than  they  had  done  on  the  previous  day. 
The  stores  scattered  recklessly  about  were  collected, 
placed  in  empty  barrels,  and  loaded  up  on  the  wagons. 
Presently  a  number  of  cattle  were  brought  down;  these 
were  harnessed  to  the  wagons  and  driven  off,  and  by 
nightfall  nothing  save  scattered  remnants  marked  the 
place  where  the  British  camp  had  stood.  But  from  their 
post  the  boys  could  see  that  the  ground  far  and  near  was 
dotted  with  corpses,  black  and  white. 

After  nightfall  the  boys  descended  to  the  camp,  and 
having  marked  the  exact  spot  where  the  wagons  had 
stood  were  able  to  collect  a  number  of  pieces  of  the 
broken  biscuit  scattered  about;  they  were  fortunate 
enough  to  light  upon  a  water-bottle  still  full,  and  with 
these  treasures  they  returned  to  the  post  on  the  moun- 
tain. They  had  agreed  to  wait  there  for  three  or  four 
days,  in  fact  as  long  as  they  could  hold  out,  and  then 
quietly  to  walk  into  one  of  the  native  kraals.  If  caught 
in  the  act  of  flight  they  were  certain  of  being  killed,  but 
they  hoped  that  when  the  Zulus'  blood  had  cooled  down 
after  the  conflict  their  lives  might  possibly  be  spared. 

This  plan  was  carried  out;  for  four  days  they  remained 
on  the  hill  of  Isandula,  and  then  descending  late  one 
evening  to  the  plain  walked  for  ten  or  twelve  miles 
north,  and  waiting  until  daybreak  showed  them  a  large 
native  kraal  at  no  great  distance,  they  made  for  it,  and 
sat  quietlv  down  at  the  door  of  the  principal  hut.     Pres- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  63 

ently  a  girl  issued  from  a  neighboring  hut,  and,  upon 
seeing  them,  gave  a  scream  and  ran  back  again.  The 
cry  brought  others  to  the  doors  of  the  huts.  When  the? 
boys  were  seen,  a  perfect  hubbub  of  tongues  broke  forth, 
and  many  of  the  men,  running  out  with  their  spears,  ad- 
vanced toward  the  lads.  They  sat  perfectly  quiet,  and 
held  up  their  hands  to  show  that  they  were  unarmed. 
The  Zulus  hesitated.  Dick  went  through  the  motion  of 
eating  and  drinking,  and  in  his  best  Kaffir  begged  for  a 
glass  ot  water. 

The  Zulus,  seeing  that  the  boys  were  alone,  approached 
them,  and  began  to  ask  them  questions,  and  were  evi- 
dently much  surprised  at  hearing  that  they  had  escaped 
from  the  massacre  of  the  British.  From  the  door  of  the 
hut  in  which  they  were  sitting  a  chief,  evidently  of  high 
rank,  for  the  others  greeted  him  respectfully,  now  came 
out. 

After  the  cause  of  the  tumult  was  explained  to  the- 
chief  he  ordered  the  boys  to  be  bound.  This  was  done 
and  they  were  put  into  an  empty  hut  while  their  fate  was 
decided  upon;  after  much  deliberation  it  was  agreed  by 
the  Zulus  that,  as  they  were  but  boys  and  had  come  into 
the  camp  unarmed  and  of  their  own  accord,  their  lives' 
should  for  the  present  be  spared. 

It  happened  that  in  the  village  were  a  party  of  men 
who  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  Umbelleni,  whose  territory 
lay  to  the  northwest,  and  these  volunteered  to  take  the 
prisoners  to  their  chief,  who  was  one  of  the  strongest 
opponents  of  the  English.  His  country,  indeed,  lay  just 
within  the  Zulu  frontier,  and,  having  been  engaged  in 
constant  skirmishes  and  broils  with  the  Dutch  settlers, 
he  was  even  more  disappointed  than  the  other  chiefs  at 
the  taking  over  of  the  Transvaal  by  England,  just  at  the; 
time  when  the  Zulus  were  meditating  its  conquest. 


64  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

The  road  from  Itelezi,  the  village  at  which  the  boys 
had  given  themselves  up,  to  Umbelleni's  country  ran 
along  between  the  Blood  Kiver  and  the  lofty  hill  coun- 
try; and,  although  they  were  ignorant  of  the  fact, 
Colonel  Wood's  force  was  at  that  moment  lying  on  this 
line.  They  were  therefore  taken  up  over  a  mountain 
country,  crossing  Mount  Ingwe,  to  the  Zlobani  Moun- 
tain, a  stronghold  ten  miles  south  of  Umbelleni's  chief 
kraal,  and  where  at  present  he  was  residing.  After  three 
days'  journey  the  lads,  exhausted  and  footsore,  ascended 
to  the  plateau  of  the  Zlobani  Mountains. 

Upon  their  way  they  passed  through  many  villages,  and 
at  each  place  it  needed  the  efforts  of  their  guards  to  pre- 
vent their  being  seriously  maltreated,  if  not  killed.  The 
Zulus,  although  victorious  at  Isandula,  had  suffered  ter- 
ribly, it  being  estimated  that  nearly  three  thousand  had 
fallen  in  the  attack. 

Thus  there  was  not  a  village  but  had  lost  some  of  its 
members,  for,  although  the  Zulu  regiments  have  local 
denominations  and  regular  military  kraals,  each  regiment 
consists  of  men  drawn  from  the  population  at  large. 

Every  four  or  five  years  all  the  lads  who  have  passed 
the  age  of  eighteen  since  the  formation  of  the  last  corps, 
are  called  out  and  formed  into  a  regiment,  or  are  em- 
bodied with  some  regiment  whose  numbers  have  fallen  in 
strength.  Thus  a  regiment  may  consist  of  men  differing 
considerably  from  each  other  in  point  of  age,  the  great 
distinction  being  that  some  corps  consist  entirely  of 
married  men,  while  others  are  all  unmarried.  A  regi- 
ment remains  unmarried  until  the  king  formally  gives 
the  permission  to  take  wives,  and  the  corps  to  whom  the 
boon  has  been  granted  are  distinguished  from  the  others 
by  their  hair  being  arranged  in  a  thick  ring  round  the 
head.    So  great  is  the  enmity  between  these  married 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  65 

regiments  and  their  less  fortunate  comrades  that  they  are 
never  encamped  in  each  other's  view,  as  fighting  in  that 
case  would  inevitably  take  place.  Thus  it  happened 
that,  although  some  of  the  corps  had  suffered  far  more 
than  others,  the  loss  was  spread  over  the  whole  of  Zulu- 
vJ*nd. 


£6  THE  YOUNQ  COLONISTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ZLOBANI. 

While  disaster  had  fallen  upon  the  center  column, 
the  division  under  Colonel  Evelyn  Wood  had  been  show- 
ing what  could  be  done  when  care  and  prudence  took  the 
place  of  a  happy-go-lucky  recklessness.  It  had  advanced 
from  Ufcrecht  on  January  7,  and  had  moved  up  to  the 
frontier  at  Sandspruit.  At  two  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
10th  it  moved  forward,  halted  at  six,  and  again  advanced 
by  the  light  of  the  moon  at  half-past  one  in  the  morn- 
ing; a  mounted  advance  guard  was  thrown  out,  flanking 
patrols  were  organized,  and  the  troops  moved  in  the 
greatest  silence. 

The  next  day  Colonel  Buller,  with  his  irregular  horse, 
went  out,  and  after  a  skirmish  with  the  Zulus  brought  in 
a  thousand  cattle,  and  Captain  Barton,  with  a  party 
scouting  in  another  direction,  captured  five  hundred  and 
fifty. 

On  the  following  morning  a  reconnaissance  in  force 
was  made,  and  a  good  deal  of  skirmishing  took  place; 
but,  as  Colonel  Wood  never  allowed  his  men  to  follow 
the  Zulus  into  rough  ground,  the  latter  were  unable  to 
effect  anything  against  the  column.  This  division  ad- 
vanced forward  but  slowly,  as  it  was  intended  that  they 
should  keep  within  reach  of  the  leisurely  moving  central 
column. 

After  several  slight  skirmishes  the  news  reached  them 
on  the  24th  of  the  disaster  of  Isandula,  and  with  it  Colo- 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  6? 

nel  Wood  received  orders  to  fall  back;  and  on  the  26th 
he  encamped  at  Kambula.  Raids  were  made  in  all  direc- 
tions with  great  success;  the  great  military  kraal  of 
Manyamyoba  was  captured  and  destroyed  by  Colonel 
Buller  and  his  cavalry.  As  Colonel  Wood's  was  now  the 
most  advanced  column,  Colonel  Rowlands,  with  a  wing 
of  the  Eightieth  and  a  couple  of  guns  and  two  hundred 
Swazis,  together  with  Eaaf's  Horse  and  Wetherby's 
Borderers,  were  sent  as  a  reinforcement  to  him. 

The  Zulus  were  not  idle,  and  Umbelleni  and  Manya- 
myoba made  several  successful  raids  across  the  border 
and  destroyed  the  kraals  of  natives  friendly  to  the  Eng- 
lish. These  two  chiefs  were  not  regular  Zulu  chieftains;' 
both  were  adventurers  who  had  gathered  under  them 
numbers  of  broken  men,  and  had  for  years  carried  on 
raids  on  their  own  account  from  their  mountain  strong- 
hold, in  much  the  same  way  that  the  Scotch  borderers  of 
olden  times  harassed  the  country  on  the  English  side  of 
the  frontier. 

Oham,  the  king's  brother,  with  his  own  following, 
came  into  Colonel  Wood's  camp,  and  gave  himself  up, 
saying  that  he  was  altogether  opposed  to  the  war. 

The  boys  on  their  arrival  at  Zlobani  were  brought  be- 
fore Umbelleni.  That  chief  briefly  gave  orders  that  they 
should  be  killed;  but  two  or  three  of  his  headmen  repre- 
sented to  him  that  they  might  be  of  use;  they  would  be 
able  to  carry  a  message  to  the  British  camp,  should  he 
desire  at  any  time  to  send  one;  by  their  appearance  and 
dress,  they  could  tell  him  the  nature  of  any  troops  they 
might  intend  to  attack,  and  could  read  and  explain  any 
letters  which  might  be  captured  on  messengers;  finally, 
they  might  be  an  acceptable  present  to  send  toCetewayo, 
who  might  not  be  pleased  if  he  heard  that  prisoners  had 
been  killed  in  cold  blood. 

Umbelleni  assented  to  the  reasoning,  and  ordered  the 


68  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

boys  to  be  taken  to  a  hut.  The  Zulu  dwellings  resemble 
in  form  great  beehives.  They  are  circular  and  dome- 
hoofed;  the  entrance  is  but  three  feet  high,  and  people 
can  only  enter  by  crawling.  A  woman  was  ordered  to 
cook  for  them.  No  guard  was  placed  over  them,  and 
they  were  permitted  to  wander  about  freely,  as  escape 
from  such  a  position  was  considered  impossible. 

Six  weeks  passed  slowly,  and  on  March  11  a  messenger 
arrived,  and  there  was  a  sudden  stir  in  the  camp.  In 
a  few  minutes  the  fighting  men  assembled.  The  boys 
were  ordered  to  take  their  place  in  the  column,  and  at  a 
swift  march,  with  which  they  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  keeping  up,  the  column  moved  away. 

"Where  are  they  taking  us  now,  I  wonder?"  Tom 
said. 

"I  suppose  they  are  going  to  attack  some  English  party 
on  the  march;  our  men  are  hardly  likely,  I  should  think, 
again  to  be  caught  napping,  as  they  were  at  Isandula." 

Crossing  two  rivers,  the  Bevana  and  Pongola,  they  at 
night  halted  in  another  mountain  kraal  of  Umbelleni, 
about  three  miles  from  the  Intombe  Eiver.  On  the  bank 
of  the  river  could  be  seen  twenty  wagons.  These  wagons 
had  come  down  from  Derby,  on  their  way  to  Luneberg, 
a  town  situated  four  miles  from  the  Intombe.  Major 
Tucker,  who  commanded  there,  sent  Captain  Moriarty 
with  a  company  of  the  Eightieth,  seventy  strong,  down 
to  the  river  to  protect  the  wagons  while  crossing,  and 
that  officer  had  orders  to  neglect  no  precaution,  and 
above  all  to  keep  an  incessant  and  vigilant  lookout. 

The  river  was  in  flood,  and  no  crossing  could  be 
effected,  and  for  four  days  the  wagons  remained  on  the 
northern  bank.  Captain  Moriarty  placed  the  wagons  in 
laager  on  the  bank,  and  took  post  there  with  forty  of  his 
men,  leaving  Lieutenant  Harwood  with  thirty-four  on 
the  south  bank  with  directions  to  cover  the  sides  of  the 


THE  JOUNG  COLONISTS.  69 

/ 
laager  with  a  flanking  fire,  should  it  be  attacked.     The 

position  of  the  wagons  was  a  dangerous   one,   as  the 

ground  rose  immediately  behind  them,  and  was  covered 

with  bush. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  of  the  11th  TTmbelleni's 
men  arose,  and,  accompanied  by  the  boys,  started  from 
the  kraal,  and  Dick  and  Tom  were  filled  with  forebod- 
ings of  what  was  about  to  happen.  Dick  had  already 
gathered  from  the  natives  that  the  guard  of  the  wagons 
was  an  extremely  small  one,  and,  as  the  body  mo^.ig  to 
attack  them  were  between  four  and  five  thousand  strong, 
the  chance  of  a  successful  resistance  appeared  small. 

When  within  a  short  distance  of  the  wagons  two  of  the 
Zulus  motioned  to  the  boys  to  stop.  In  ten  minutes 
they  heard  a  sentry  challenge;  his  shout  was  answered  by 
a  loud  yell,  and  the  Zulus  poured  down  to  the  attack. 
Unfortunately  Captain  Moriarty  had  not  taken  sufficient 
precaution  against  surprise,  and  before  the  men  were 
fairly  under  arms  the  Zulus  were  upon  them. 

The  force  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  were  now  on 
the  alert,  and  their  rifle-fire  opened  before  that  of  the 
defenders  of  the  wagons.  For  a  moment  or  two  there 
was  a  sharp  rattling  fire  from  the  wagons;  then  there 
were  shouts  and  screams,  the  firing  ceased,  and  the  boys 
knew  that  the  laager  had  been  captured.  Many  of  the 
soldiers  indeed  were  assegaied  before  they  could  leave 
their  tents,  most  were  slaughtered  at  once,  but  a  few 
managed  to  swim  across  the  river.  The  Zulus  swarmed 
after  them.  Lieutenant  Harwood  jumped  upon  his 
horse  and  rode  off  to  Luneberg  to  fetch  assistance.  The 
little  detachment  was  broken  by  the  rush  of  the  Zulus, 
but  a  sergeant  and  eight  men  fell  back  into  a  deserted 
kraal,  and  succeeded  in  repelling  the  attacks  of  the 
enemy. 

Lieutenant  Harwood  was  afterward  tried  by  court- 


70  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

martial  for  his  conduct;  he  was  acquitted,  but  the  gen- 
eral in  command  refused  to  confirm  the  verdict,  and  the 
,commander-in-chief  at  home  approved  of  the  view  he 
took  of  the  matter,  and  issued  a  general  order  to  the 
effect  that  "An  officer,  being  the  only  one  present  with 
a  party  of  soldiers  actually  engaged  with  the  enemy,  is 
not  under  any  pretext  whatever  justified  in  deserting 
them,  and  thus  by  so  doing  abandoning  them  to  their 
fate." 

Apprehensive  of  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  from 
Luneberg,  Umbelleni  did  not  continue  his  attack  upon 
the  little  party  in  the  kraal,  but,  after  hastily  plunder-, 
ing  the  wagons,  retreated  with  his  force,  and  the  next 
day  returned  to  Zlobani. 

A  few  days  passed  and  the  boys  learned  that  two  regi- 
ments from  Ulundi  were  expected  shortly  to  reinforce 
Umbelleni's  men.  The  chief  himself,  with  the  majority 
of  his  followers,  was  now  at  his  kraal,  four  miles  distant, 
but  the  boys  remained  in  the  village  on  the  Zlobani 
plateau.  Several  times  they  saw  parties  of  British  horse 
riding  over  the  plains  and  from  a  distance  reconnoitering 
the  position,  and  they  wondered  whether  there  could  be 
any  intention  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Wood  to  attack  it. 
There  was  on  the  plateau  a  large  number  of  cattle,  part 
the  property  of  Umbelleni's  men,  but  the  great  major- 
ity spoil  taken  in  raids.  It  sieemed  to  the  boys  that  an 
attack  could  scarcely  be  successful.  The  sides  of  the 
mountains  were  extremely  precipitous,  covered  with 
bush,  and  contained  large  numbers  of  caves.  There  was 
but  one  path  up  which  mounted  men  could  ride;  this  was 
about  halfway  along  the  west  side,  the  hill  being  a  much 
greater  length  from  north  to  south  than  from  east  to 
west.  Up  the  southern  extremity  of  the  plateau  was  a 
path  by  which  footmen  could  descend  to  the  plain,  but  it 
was  exceedingly  steep  and  altogether  impracticable  for 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  71 

cavalry;  a  handful  of  men  should  have  been  able  to  hold 
the  position  against  an  army. 

Colonel  Wood,  having  heard  of  the  large  quantity  of 
cattle  concealed  on  the  ZIobani  Mountain,  had  determined 
to  attack  it,  and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
March  27  a  cavalry  party  started.  It  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  mounted  infantry;  the  Frontier  Light 
Horse,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five;  Eaaf's  Troop, 
fifty;  Piet-TJys'  Boer  Contingent,  fifty;  Wetherby's 
Horse,  eighty;  Schermbrucker's  Horse,  forty — a  total  of 
four  hundred  and  ninety-five  men.  They  were  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Eussell,  andColonel  Wood  was  himself 
to  join  them  in  the  evening.  The  party  was  a  picked 
one,  all  being  well  mounted  and  good  rifle-shots. 

The  track  led  across  a  rough  sandy  country  with  deep 
nullahs,  and  thickly  covered  with  trees  and  bush.  At 
five  o'clock  they  halted  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  again 
advanced.  After  five  miles'  traveling  across  a  very  rough 
country  they  came  out  into  a  large  cultivated  flat  which 
terminated  in  a  long,  dark,  winding  gorge,  black  with 
bush  and  skirted  by  precipices  of  sandstone  and  granite. 
They  turned  into  this  and  followed  a  rivulet  until  they 
came  to  the  end  of  the  gorge,  where  they  discovered  a 
steep  path  which  seemed  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock,  and 
was  only  wide  enough  for  one  horseman  to  pass.  After 
three-quarters  of  an  hour's  climbing  they  gained  the 
summit. 

The  country  was  wild  in  the  extreme.  The  plateau 
upon  which  they  found  themselves  extended  for  seven  or 
eight  miles.  Huge  masses  of  scrub  and  bowlders,  peaks, 
terraces,  and  ledges  of  rock  appeared  everywhere,  while 
caves  and  immense  fissures  formed  retreats  for  the  cattle. 
It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  force  bivouacked 
for  the  night,  having  brought  with  them  three  days' 
provisions.    At  seven   in   the    evening  Colonel  Wood 


72  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

joined  them  with  his  staff,  eight  mounted  men  of  the 
Fiftieth  Regiment  and  six  natives  under  Untongo,  a  son 
of  Poqgo,  a  friendly  chief.  Untongo  had  by  some  means 
obtained  information  that  seven  strong  regiments  had 
marched  from  TJlundi  seven  days  before,  and  was  most 
anxious  that  the  column  should  return  to  Kambula. 

Colonel  "Wood,  however,  could  not  carry  out  this 
advice,  for  Colonels  Buller  and  Wetherby  and  Piet-Uys, 
with  their  commands,  who  were  in  front,  had  moved  for- 
ward a  long  distance,  and  a  retreat  now  would  leave 
them  to  be  surrounded  and  cut  off.  The  troops  lay  down 
and  slept,  and  at  half-past  three  o'clock  again  prepared 
to  advance.  Distant  shots  were  heard,  showing  that 
Colonel  Buller  was  attacked,  and  just  as  the  party  was 
setting  off,  Colonel  Wetherby  with  his  troopers  rode  in, 
having  in  the  night  got  separated  from  Buller's  men  in 
the  wild  and  broken  country.  As  the  troops  advanced 
they  came  here  and  there  across  the  bodies  of  Zulus, 
showing  that  Buller  had  had  to  fight  his  way.  Captain 
Ronald  Campbell  ascended  a  rock  and  scanned  the  coun- 
try with  his  glass.  Faraway,  almost  in  the  center  of  the 
gigantic  and  apparently  inaccessible  cliff  of  Zlobani,  the 
remains  of  Buller's  column  could  be  seen  slowly  advanc- 
ing, driving  some  dark  masses  of  cattle  and  Zulus  before 
them. 

Colonel  Wetherby  obtained  permission  to  lead  his  men 
on  at  once  to  Buller's  assistance,  while  Colonel  Wood  fol- 
lowed with  the  remainder  of  the  force.  Wetherby 
moved  by  a  terribly  difficult  path  to  the  right,  while 
Wood  kept  to  what  seemed  the  main  track.  About  half 
a  mile  further  the  latter  came  on  a  party  of  two  hundred 
Zulus,  armed  with  rifles;  these  crossed  in  front  of  him, 
taking  an  occasional  shot  at  the  leading  files  of  the  party, 
who  on  account  of  the  difficulties  of -the  road  were  com- 
pelled to  dismount  and  lead  their  horses.    Their  object 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  73 

was  evidently  to  cut  off  Wetherby's  troop  from  the  main 
column.  Lieutenant  Lysons,  leaving  the  column,  recon- 
noitered  the  ground,  and  found  that  Wetherby's  party 
was  already  divided  from  them  by  a  deep  and  impassable 
ravine,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  the  pathway  by  which 
Buller  had  made  his  way  to  the  summit  of  the  cliff.  A 
strong  party  of  Zulus  were  seen  far  away  in  front,  work- 
ing as  if  to  cut  off  Buller's  horse.  It  was  clear  that 
there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  press  forward  in  hopes 
that  the  line  taken  by  Wetherby  and  that  which  the  main 
column  was  following  would  come  together. 

At  this  moment  a  heavy  fire  was  opened  by  a  party  of 
the  enemy  from  a  narrow  ledge  of  rock  a  hundred  yards 
above  them.  Untongo  and  two  of  his  men  guided  a 
party  of  eight  marksmen  to  a  still  higher  point,  and  their 
fire  speedily  drove  off  the  Zulus.  Half  an  hour's  march 
brought  Wood  upon  Wetherby's  track,  and  high  above 
them  to  the  right  the  rear  of  Buller's  column  could  be 
seen.  No  more  unsuitable  ground  for  the  operation  of 
mounted  men  could  be  found;  perpendicular  rocks  rose 
in  all  directions,  while  steep  precipices  fell  away  at  their 
feet.  Killed  and  wounded  horses  were  seen  at  every  turn 
of  the  road,  showing  how  stoutly  the  enemy  had  hel4 
their  ground,  and  how  difficult  an  operation  Buller  had 
performed.  Sending  fifty  men  to  work  upon  the  right 
flank  and  endeavor  to  take  the  Zulus  in  the  rear,  Golonel 
Wood  kept  his  men  for  a  few  moments  under  cover  of  a 
friendly  ledge  of  rocks,  to  take  breath  and  look  to  their 
rifles,  girths,  and  ammunition,  and  then  pressed  rapidly 
forward  and  joined  the  Border  Horse. 

The  scene  was  now  most  exciting.  The  firing  was 
almost  continuous,  and  the  yells  of  the  savages  rose  from 
every  rock  and  bush,  mingled  with  the  loud  cheers  of 
Buller's  men  far  up  in  front,  as  they  saw  the  column 
approaching  to  their  aid.     The  ground  was  now  more 


74  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

level  and  practicable  for  riding,  and  Colonel  Wood 
mounted  his  horse  and,  accompanied  by  his  own  little 
escort  of  a  dozen  men  and  the  Border  Horse  under 
Colonel  Wetherby  himself,  with  his  gallant  boy,  aged 
fifteen,  who  was  fighting  by  his  side,  galloped  forward  for 
the  front,  leaving  Colonel  Eussell  in  command  of  the 
column.  When  within  a  hundred  paces  of  the  summit 
of  the  cliff  a  rain  of  fire  opened  upon  their  front  and 
flank  from  a  mass  of  Zulus  firing  from  caves,  crevices, 
and  behind  enormous  bowlders.  From  one  cave  to  the 
right  front  an  excessively  heavy  fire  was  kept  up,  and 
Colonel  Wetherby  dashed  at  this  with  his  men  just  as 
Colonel  Wood's  horse  staggered  from  a  deep  assegai 
wound  in  the  chest.  At  the  same  moment  a  native  from 
behind  a  bowlder  fired  at  that  officer  at  ten  paces'  dis- 
tance; the  bullet  missed  him  and  Lieutenant  Lloyd  rode 
at  the  man,  but  fell,  shot  through  the  head.  Colonel 
Wood  and  Captain  Bonald  Campbell  rode  forward  to 
cover  his  body.  Two  more  Zulus  fired  at  the  same  in- 
stant and  the  colonel's  horse  fell  dead.  Colonel  Weth- 
erby's  men  were  hotly  engaged  at  close  quarters  with  the 
Zulus,  and  were  unable  to  join  the  colonel.  Captain 
Campbell,  Lieutenant  Lysons,  and  the  eight  Ninetieth 
men  of  the  eseort  rushed  at  the  opening.  Captain 
Campbell  fell,  shot  through  the  head,  bnt  the  rest  dashed 
forward. 

There  was  a  movement  in  the  cave  and  a  sudden  shout 
in  English  of  "Come  on!"  and  as  the  little  band  dashed 
in  and  fell  upon  the  Zulus  they  saw,  to  their  astonish  * 
ment,  two  English  boys,  armed  with  assegais,  attacking 
these  in  the  rear.  In  another  minute  the  Zulus  were  all 
cut  down,  and  the  party  returned  to  Colonel  Wood. 

On  the  previous  afternoon  Zulu  scouts  had  arrived  at 
Zlobani  with  the  news  that  an  English  column  was  on  its 
way  toward  it.     Messengers  were  dispatched  to  Umbel- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  ?5 

leni's  kraal,  and  at  night  his  force  there  came  to  the 
assistance  of  those  at  Zlobani.  Early  in  the  morning  the 
boys  proceeded  with  a  number  of  Zulus  to  the  edge  of 
the  plateau,  and  were  placed  with  eight  of  their  guards 
in  a  cave.  From  its  mouth  they  watched  anxiously  the 
events  of  the  day. 

Colonel  Buller's  party  had  struck  upon  the  right  road, 
and  after  hard  fighting  gained  the  summit  of  the  cliff. 
Here  a  great  quantity  of  cattle  were  collected,  and  these 
were  sent  off  in  charge  of  a  body  of  friendly  natives, 
which  accompanied  the  force.  This  column  in  the  ad- 
vance had  not  passed  near  the  cave  in  which  the  boys 
were  placed.  Their  hearts  beat  high  as  they  saw  Colonel 
Wood's  column  suddenly  turn  off  from  the  line  which 
Buller  had  followed,  and  make  straight  for  it.  Their 
excitement  grew  higher  and  higher  as  the  conflict 
increased  in  vigor. 

Soon  the  Zulus  in  the  cave  were  at  work.  When  Cap- 
tain Campbell  charged  forward  with  his  handful  of  men 
Dick  and  Tom  exchanged  a  glance.  They  stood  quiet 
until  i(t  was  evident  that  the  English  attack  would  be 
pushed  home;  then,  as  the  men  of  the  Ninetieth,  led  by 
Lysons,  dashed  at  the  entrance  of  the  cavern,  the  boys 
seized  two  assegais  and  each  pinned  one  of  the  crouching 
Zulus  to  the  ground.  Before  the  others  could  turn 
round  upon  them  Lysons  and  his  men  were  among  them. 

The  fire  of  Buller's  men  from  above  drove  the  Zulus 
from  their  hiding-places.  But  Colonel  Wood,  finding  it 
impossible  to  make  his  way  up  at  this  point,  moved 
round  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks,  to  try  and  find  the  point 
at  which  Buller  had  ascended  the  cliff.  Before  doing  so, 
however,  the  bodies  of  Captain  Campbell  and  Lieutenant 
Lloyd  were  carried  down  the  hill  and  buried  in  a  hastily 
made  grave.  As,  carrying  their  wounded  men,  the  little 
party  made  their  way  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  Untongo, 


76  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

who  had  been  reeonnoitering  the  rocks  on  both  sides,  ran 
down  to  him  and  began  to  talk  rapidly,  pointing  over 
toward  the  plain. 

Colonel  Wood  did  not  understand  Kaffir,  but  Dick, 
who  was  standing  by,  said: 

"He  says,  sir,  that  there  is  a  great  Zulu  army  marching 
below." 

Colonel  Wood  mounted  a  fresh  horse,  and  making  his 
way  with  great  difficulty  across  some  broken  ground 
reached  a  point  where  he  could  see  the  plain.  There,  in 
five  continuous  columns,  the  Zulu  army  from  Ulundi, 
twenty  thousand  strong,  was  sweeping  along  at  its  usual 
rapid  pace.  It  was  evident  at  once  that  only  by  a  speedy 
retreat  could  any  of  the  force  hope  to  escape.  Colonel 
Wood  dispatched  a  message  at  once  to  Colonel  Eussell, 
who  had  with  his  force  by  this  time  commenced  the 
ascent  at  the  extreme  westerly  point  to  retrace  his  steps 
instantly,  and  to  cover  as  far  as  possible  the  retreat  of 
the  native  allies  with  the  cattle. 

Colonel  Buller  above  had  also  seen  the  coming  danger. 
So  far  he  had  accomplished  his  work  admirably.  The 
Zulu  position  had  been  triumphantly  stormed,. and  a 
large  number  of  cattle  taken  and  driven  off. 

Had  Colonel  Wood's  force  and  Wetherby's  troop  ar- 
rived on  the  scene  of  action  immediately  after  Buller  had 
ascended  to  the  plateau,  the  retreat  could  have  been 
made  in  time,  and  the  expedition  would  have  been  suc- 
cessful at  all  points.  The  unfortunate  incident  of  their 
losing  the  track,  the  delay  caused  thereby,  and  their 
inability  to  rejoin  him  had  given  time  for  the  Ulundi 
army  to  come  up. 

Colonel  Buller  found  that  it  was  impossible  now  to 
descend  to  the  plain  by  the  path  by  which  he  had  as- 
cended. Not  only  would  he  have  to  fight  his  way  back 
through  the  whole  force  of  Umbelleni,  but  his  retreat  by 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  77 

that  route  would  be  cut  off  by  the  Ulundi  men.  Conse- 
quently, pursued  by  a  great  body  of  exulting  Zulus,  he 
made  his  way  along  the  plateau  to  the  steep  path  at  its 
extremity. 

The  scene  here  was  terrible.  The  Zulus  blocked  the 
way  in  front  and  lined  both  sides.  Buller  himself,  with 
Piet-Uys,  defended  the  rear,  assisting  the  wounded,  and 
often  charging  desperately  into  the  ranks  of  the  Zulus 
pressing  upon  him.  The  path  was  slippery  with  blood 
and  strewn  with  dead.  As  the  last  of  his  troop  made 
their  way  down  it,  Piet-Uys,  a  most  gallant  Dutchman, 
fell  dead  across  the  body  of  his  horse,  with  six  Zulus, 
whom  he  had  shot  with  his  revolver,  around  him. 

Wetherby's  troop  was  surrounded,  and  forty-five  out 
of  his  eighty  men  killed.  The  colonel  himself  and  his 
boy  both  fell,  the  latter  refusing  to  leave  his  father, 
although  the  latter  urged  him  to  gallop  off  and  join  the 
column,  which  appeared  to  be  making  its  way  through 
the  Zulus.  Colonel  Russell's  command  got  through 
without  so  much  opposition;  but  Buller's  horse,  Piet- 
Uys'  troop,  and  Wetherby's  command  suffered  terribly. 

Fortunately  the  Ulundi  army  did  not  follow  the 
retreat;  first,  because  the  tremendous  three  days'  march 
which  they  had  made  had  in  a  great  measure  exhausted 
the  men,  who  had  started  in  such  haste  that  they  had 
brought  no  provisions  with  them,  and  secondly,  on  ac- 
count of  the  steady  attitude  and  resolute  bearing  of 
Russell's  command. 

Buller's  force  reached  Kambula  camp  at  half-past 
seven  at  night.  It  had  set  in  stormy,  and  torrents  of 
rain  were  falling.  Although  he  had  been  in  the  saddle 
for  forty-eight  hours,  Colonel  Buller,  on  hearing  that  a 
small  party  of  the  survivors  had  taken  refuge  in  hiding 
ten  miles  away,  collected  a  party  of  volunteers,  and,  tak- 
ing led  horses,  set  out  to  rescue  them.    This  was  effected; 


78  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

the  fugitives  were  found  to  be  seven  in  number,  and 
returned  with  their  rescuers  safely  to  camp. 

The  boys  had  both  escaped,  two  of  Wetherby's  men, 
who  accompanied  Colonel  Wood,  taking  them  on  their 
saddles  behind  them.  The  total  loss  was  ten  officers  and 
seventy-eight  men. 

For  the  night  the  boys  were  handed  over  to  the  charge 
of  one  of  the  officers  of  the  staff,  but  in  the  morning 
Colonel  Wood  sent  for  them,  and  they  then  told  him  the 
story  of  their  adventures  since  the  battle  of  Isandula, 
with  which  he  was  greatly  interested.  He  said  that  he 
would  at  once  have  sent  them  to  Utrecht,  but  that  the 
camp  would  probably  be  attacked  during  the  day. 

The  troops  had  been  on  the  alert  all  night,  expecting 
an  attack.  Before  daylight  Captain  Kaaf  was  sent  out 
with  twenty-five  men  to  reconnoiter,  and  returned  with 
one  of  Oham's  natives.  This  man  had  joined  the 
Zulu  army  as  it  advanced,  and  was,  fortunately  for  him- 
self, not  recognized  by  them  as  being  one  of  Oham's 
people.  In  the  night  he  had  slipped  away.  He  reported 
the  Zulus  twenty  thousand  strong,  a  great  portion  of 
them  being  armed  with  rifles. 

Fortunately  little  preparation  was  necessary  at  Kam- 
bula.  Nothing  had  been  left  to  chance  here,  and  there 
was  therefore  no  fear  of  a  repetition  of  the  Isandula  dis- 
aster. Each  corps,  each  subdivision,  each  section,  and 
each  man  had  his  place  allotted  to  him,  and  had  been 
told  to  be  in  that  place  at  the  sound  of  the  bugle. 

The  little  fort  was  in  a  strong  position,  laid  out  upon 
an  elevated  narrow  reach  of  tableland.  A  precipice, 
inaccessible  to  a  white  man,  guarded  the  right  flank;  on 
the  left  a  succession  of  steep  terraces  had  been  utilized 
and  carefully  intrenched,  each  successive  line  command- 
ing that  below  it.  At  one  end  there  was  a  narrow  slip 
of  land  swept  by  two  seven-pounders.     Immediately  in 


TSE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  ?8 

the  rear,  upon  an  eminence  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
higher  than  the  fort,  was  a  small  work,  armed  with  two 
guns.  The  camp  consisted  of  an  outer  defense  of  one 
hundred  wagons  and  an  inner  one  of  fifty — the  whole 
protected  by  earthworks  and  ditches. 


80  Itftto  JO-'jivG  coLomw& 


CHAPTER  VII. 

KAMBULA. 

Immediately  Oham;s  Zulu  had  made  his  report,  the 
bugle  sounded,  and  the  garrison  quietly  and  quickly  took 
up  the  places  assigned  to  them.  Messengers  went  out  to 
order  a  fatigue  party,  which  had  gone  out  wood-cutting, 
to  return  at  once.  These  men  reported  that  they  had 
seen  the  Zulus  scouting,  about  five  miles  to  the  west. 
The  tents  were  struck,  the  men  lined  the  shelter 
trenches,  and  ammunition  was  served  out  by  fatigue 
parties  told  off  for  this  duty.  The  white  conductors  and 
commissariat  men,  most  of  whom  were  old  settlers  and 
good  shots,  were  told  off  to  the  different  faces  of  the 
laager,  A  small  party  were  provided  with  stretchers,  in 
order  to  carry  the  wounded  to  the  hospital  in  the  center. 

Dick  and  Tom,  having  no  duty  and  being  without 
arms,  thought  that  they  might  as  well  make  themselves 
useful  at  this  work,  and  therefore,  taking  a  stretcher, 
they  proceeded  to  one  of  the  outer  shelter  trenches. 

It  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock  when  the  Zulus  were  seen 
approaching,  and  halted  just  out  of  musket-range.  Here 
apparently  a  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it  was  more 
than  an  hour  before  any  forward  movement  was  made. 
Then  a  body  of  them,  about  seven  thousand  strong,  ran 
at  a  tremendous  pace  along  a  ledge  situated  at  the  edge 
of  the  cultivated  land.  The  troops  were  ordered  not  to 
fire,  as  it  was  thought  better  to  wait  until  the  Zulus  came 
on  in  earnest.     At  half-past  one  a  cloud  of  skirmishers 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  81 

advanced  from  the  Zulu  army,  and  fed  by  supports  began 
to  scale  the  north  front  of  the  English  position.  Here, 
behind  the  outermost  line  of  intrenchments,  some  of 
Buller  and  Eussell's  dismounted  men,  and  a  portion  of 
tne  band  of  the  gallant  Piet-Uys  were  stationed,  and 
these  opened  fire  upon  the  Zulus.  Scarcely  one  of  them 
but  was  a  dead-shot,  and  no  sooner  did  a  head  or  a  shield 
appear  above  rock  or  bowlder  or  tuft  of  grass  than  the 
deadly  rifle  rang  out,  and  in  most  cases  there  was  an 
enemy  the  less  to  encounter. 

The  Boers  particularly  distinguished  themselves  at  this 
work.  Most  of  these  men  are  certain  shots,  being  trained 
from  childhood  in  the  use  of  their  large  single-barreled 
guns,  carrying  an  enormous  bullet,  and  suited  for  the 
destruction  of  big  game.  Animated  by  a  hatred  of  the 
Zulus,  and  a  longing  for  vengeance  for  the  death  of  their 
late  leader,  the  Boers  picked  off  their  foes  with  unerring 
aim.  The  enemy's  skirmishers  now  retired,  and  a  more 
solid  line  took  their  place,  supported  by  a  dense  column 
in  its  rear.  The  cavalry  remounted  and  fell  slowly  back, 
and  Major  Eussell,  with  twenty  of  his  men,  made  a  bril- 
liant charge  on  a  party  of  Zulus  who  were  running  to 
take  possession  of  a  sheltering  ledge  of  rocks,  and,  after 
cutting  down  a  great  many,  retreated  without  the  loss  of 
a  man. 

Buller  and  Eussell  now  retired  slowly  within  the  laager, 
their  retreat  being  covered  by  Colonel  Gilbert  and  four 
companies  of  the  Thirteenth,  who  were  posted  at  this 
face  of  the  works.  One  company  of  the  Thirteenth, 
under  Captain  Cox,  held  the  cattle-laager,  which  was 
situated  outside  the  line,  and  so  were  able  to  take  the 
enemy  in  flank,  as  they  attacked  the  main  work.  This 
little  garrison  and  Colonel  Gilbert's  men  poured  a  tremen- 
dous fire  upon  the  Zulus,  who  still,  however,  pushed 
forward. 


32  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Major  Hackett  was  now  ordered  to  take  a  couple  of 
companies  of  the  Ninetieth,  and  to  advance  up  the  slope, 
^round  the  rear  of  the  cattle-laager.  Taking  post  here, 
they  opened  a  deliberate  and  deadly  fire  upon  the  enemy, 
and  then  advancing  drove  back  the  Zulus  with  great  loss. 
The  Zulu  general,  however,  led  a  party  of  his  best 
marksmen  round  to  his  right,  and  opened  a  heavy  tire 
upon  the  Ninetieth,  as  they  fell  back  upon  their  intrench- 
ments.  Lieutenant  Bright  fell  mortally  wounded,  and 
in  running  forward  to  pick  him  up  Major  Hackett  was 
struck  by  a  ball  sideways,  which  passed  through  both 
eyes  and  destroyed  his  sight  forever.  Meanwhile,  from 
the  works  on  the  heights,  Captain  Nicholson  was  doing 
great  execution  with  his  two  seven-pounders.  The  Zulu 
main  body  had  now  come  within  range,  and  grape  and 
canister  were  poured  into  their  heavy  masses.  As 
Nicholson  was  standing  on  the  parapet,  fieldglass  in 
hand,  directing  the  pointing  of  two  guns,  a  bullet  struck 
him  on  the  temple  and  he  fell  dead.  He  was  seen  from 
the  laager  to  fall,  and  Major  Vaughan  was  sent  to  take 
his  place.  Major  Tremlett,  E.A.,  now  took  the  four 
guns,  hitherto  held  in  reserve,  to  a  small  piece  of  rising 
ground  outside  the  laager,  and  opened  fire  upon  the 
masses  of  the  enemy  with  immense  execution.  From 
time  to  time  Buller  and  Russell,  as  they  saw  openings 
for  a  charge,  swept  down  and  drove  the  enemy's  skir- 
mishers back  on  to  their  main  body;  the  Zulus,  altogether 
unaccustomed  to  cavalry,  always  falling  back  precipitately 
at  these  assaults. 

At  three  o'clock  a  hot  cross-fire  was  opened  upon  a 
company  commanded  by  Captain  Woodgate,  which  was 
stationed  halfway  between  the  laager  and  the  upper  fort, 
keeping  open  a  communication  between  them,  the 
enemy's  fire  from  a  height  commanding  this  line  being 
particularly  galling.  Two  of  Tremlett's  guns  were  brought 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  83 

to  bear  on  the  point,  and  the  enemy's  fire  speedily 
slackened.  For  another  hour  and  a  half  the  troops  con- 
tinued to  be  hotly  engaged,  for  the  enemy,  when  driven 
back  from  one  flank,  swept  round  in  most  perfect  order 
and  attacked  another. 

At  half-past  four  the  Zulus,  concentrating  again,  at- 
tacked the  northern  side,  and  made  some  desperate 
rushes  up  to  the  muzzles  of  the  English  rifles,  and  the 
lighting  for  a  time  was  almost  hand  to  hand. 

The  boys  had  worked  round  with  their  stretchers  wher- 
ever the  fire  was  hardest,  and  had  carried  many  wounded 
men  into  hospital.  They  were  at  the  north  face  when 
the  Zulus  swarmed  up  toward  it,  and  Woodgate's  men 
fell  back  into  the  shelter  of  the  laager.  As  they  came  in 
a  young  lieutenant,  who  was  commanding  the  rear,  fell, 
apparently  dead.  Being  in  the  rear  of  the  company  his 
fall  was  unnoticed  by  the  men.  Dick,  who  was  peering 
over  the  intrenchment,  saw  him  fall,  and  saw  too  that  he 
moved  slightly. 

"Quick,  Tom!"  he  exclaimed;  and,  carrying  the 
stretcher,  the  boys  scrambled  over  the  breastwork  and 
ran  toward  the  officer.  He  had  fallen  some  twenty  yards 
outside,  and  the  Zulus,  rushing  on,  were  but  eighty  yards 
away. 

On  reaching  the  side  of  the  young  officer  the  boys  laid 
their  stretcher  on  the  ground,  rolled  him  upon  it,  and, 
lifting  it,  turned  toward  the  camp.  A  ringing  cheer 
from  the  men  had  greeted  this  action,  mingled  with 
shouts  of  "Kun!  run!"  for  by  this  time  the  Zulus  were 
but  twenty  yards  behind. 

A  stream  of  fire  broke  out  from  the  top  of  the  breast- 
works; an  assegai  whizzed  over  Dick's  shoulder,  and 
another  grazed  Tom's  arm,  but  they  hurried  on  until 
they  reached  the  ditch,  and  then  threw  themselves  and 
their  burden  down.     There  for  five  or  six  minutes  they 


£4  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

lay,  while  the  fight  raged  above  them.  Then  the  British 
cheer  rose,  and  the  boys  knew  that  the  Zulus  had  fallen, 
back. 

A  minute  later  a  dozen  men  leaped  from  the  intrench- 
ment  into  the  ditch  outside,  and  lifted  the  wounded 
lieutenant  over  it  into  the  arms  of  those  behind. 

"Bravo!  boys,  bravo!"  a  hundred  voices  shouted,  aa 
the  boys  scrambled  back  into  the  works,  while  the  men 
crowded  round  to  pat  them  on  the  shoulder  and  shake 
their  hands. 

It  was  evident  now  that  the  Zulu  fire  was  slackening, 
and  three  companies  of  the  Thirteenth  went  out,  and, 
taking  posts  by  the  edge  of  the  slope  of  the  cattle-laager, 
opened  fire  upon  them  as  they  retired.  Every  gun  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  them,  and  as,  disheartened  and 
beaten,  they  fell  back,  Buller  and  Bussell,  with  every 
mounted  man  in  camp,  sallied  out  and  fell  upon  them, 
and,  burning  with  the  desire  to  wipe  out  their  misfortune 
of  the  preceding  day,  chased  them  for  seven  miles,  like  a 
flock  of  sheep,  cutting  down  immense  numbers. 

It  was  ascertained  afterward  from  prisoners  that  the 
Zulu  force  which  attacked  was  composed  of  twenty-five 
thousand  men.  It  was  commanded  by  Tyangwaiyo,  with 
Umbelleni  as  his  second.  Many  of  the  leading  chiefs  of 
Zululand  and  three  thousand  of  the  king's  bravest  and 
best  troops  fell  in  the  attack  on  Kambula,  and  this  battle 
was  by  far  the  hottest  and  best-contested  which  took 
place  during  the  war. 

Upon  our  side  two  officers  and  twenty-one  men  were 
killed.  The  difference  between  the  result  of  the  action 
at  Kambula  and  that  at  Isandula  was  due  entirely  to  the 
fact  that  in  one  case  every  precaution  was  taken,  every 
means  of  defense  utilized;  while  in  the  other  no  more 
attention  was  paid  to  any  of  these  points  than  if  the 
troops  had  been  encamped  at  Aldershot. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  85 

Upon  the  day  following  the  battle  Colonel  "Wood  set 
iiis  men  to  work  to  erect  further  defenses  at  the  points 
which  the  recent  action  had  shown  to  be  weak,  and  never 
ceased  work  until  the  place  had  been  made  almost  impreg- 
nable against  an  assault  of  savages,  however  brave. 

The  messenger  who  carried  to  Natal  the  news  of  the 
victory  of  Kambula  also  took  letters  from  the  boys  to 
their  parents,  acquainting  them  of  their  safety;  and  with 
the  first  convoy  of  wounded  on  the  following  day  the 
boys  started  for  home,  Colonel  Wood  having  given  to 
each  a  flattering  testimonial  as  to  their  gallant  conduct 
in  the  action,  and  having  presented  them  with  two  horses 
belonging  to  men  of  Buller's  corps  who  had  fallen  in  the 
action,  ordering  that  the  horses  should  be  entered  as 
bought  for  the  queen's  service,  and  the  value  paid  to  the 
relatives  of  their  late  owners. 

Three  days'  march  took  the  convoy  to  Utrecht,  and 
the  next  morning  the  boys  rode  home,  the  distance  from 
there  to  Newcastle  being  about  forty  miles.  They  were 
received  as  if  they  had  risen  from  the  dead,  for  their 
letters  had  not  arrived  before  them,  and  their  parents 
had  of  course  assumed  that  they  had  been  killed  at  Isan- 
dula.  Both  the  mothers  were  in  mourning,  and  their 
joy  at  the  restoration  of  their  sons  was  unbounded. 

Mrs.  Jackson  fainted  from  surprise  and  delight  as 
Tom  rode  up;  but  Dick,  remembering  the  effect  which 
the  news  of  his  being  alive  in  the  snow  had  produced 
upon  his  mother,  was  careful  to  save  her  the  shock.  Ac- 
cordingly, instead  of  riding  direct  to  the  house,  he  made 
a  detour  and  rode  across  the  farm  until  he  met  Bill  Har- 
rison. The  man  was  delighted  at  the  sight  of  his  young 
master,  and  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes  as  he  saw  him 
riding  toward  him. 

After  the  first  warm  greeting  was  over  Dick  learned 
that  his  mother  had  been  seriously  ill,  and  was  now  re- 


86  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

covering,  and  that  his  father  had  been  much  shaken. 
Dick  told  Harrison  to  go  to  the  house,  and,  under  the 
excuse  of  some  question  about  his  work,  to  call  Mr. 
Humphreys  out,  and  to  tell  him  of  his  return,  leaving  it 
to  him  to  break  the  news  to  his  wife. 

This  Mr.  Humphreys,  after  recovering  from  his  own 
emotion  at  the  joyful  intelligence,  did  so  gradually  and 
quietly  that  the  tale  produced  no  injurious  effect  upon 
the  mother. 

He  began  by  saying  that  he  had  heard  that  a  rumor  was 
afloat  that  some  of  those  that  were  supposed  to  have  been 
killed  at  Isandula  had  been  kept  captives  by  the  Zulus. 

Mrs.  Humpheys  for  a  time  doubted  the  news,  but, 
upon  her  husband's  assurance  that  the  intelligence  was 
well  founded,  a  faint  feeling  of  hope  began  to  spring  up; 
then  gradually,  step  by  step,  he  told  her  that  it  was 
reported  that  these  captives  consisted  chiefly  of  non- 
combatants,  men  who  had  taken  refuge  among  the  rocks 
and  bushes  when  the  fight  was  seen  to  be  going  against 
the  troops.  This  still  further  raised  Mrs.  Humphreys* 
hopes;  for,  from  the  presence  of  mind  and  shrewdness 
which  Dick  had  shown  on,  the  occasion  of  the  snow- 
storm, it  seemed  probable  that  he  would  be  quick  to  avail 
himself  of  any  chance  of  escape  there  might  be.  Then 
Mr.  Humphreys  said  that  the  report  affirmed  that  among 
the  prisoners  were  two  or  three  quite  young  lads,  and  so 
step  by  step  he  went  on,  until  the  delighted  mother 
learned  that  her  son  was  already  upon  the  farm,  and  was 
only  waiting  until  he  knew  she  would  be  strong  enough 
to  see  him. 

Mr.  Humphreys  now  went  to  the  door  and  gave  a  loud 
shout,  and  Dick,  who  had  been  waiting  the  signal  agreed 
on  at  a  short  distance  from  the  house,  ran  up  and  was 
soon  in  his  parents'  arms.  A  minute  or  two  later  his 
younger  brother  ran  in,  having  just  heard  the  news  from 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  87 

Harrison,  and  it  was  indeed  a  happy  party  which  that 
night  assembled  in  the  sitting-room  of  the  farmhouse, 
and  listened  to  Dick's  account  of  the  adventures  he  had 
gone  through.  Not  a  little  proud  were  the  father  and 
mother,  as  they  read  Colonel  Wood's  testimony  to  the 
gallant  conduct  of  their  son. 

The  next  day  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  drove  over  with 
Tom,  and  the  warmest  congratulations  were  exchanged. 

"Have  you  been  paid  for  the  wagons,  father?"  Dick 
asked. 

"Yes,  my  boy,  for  there  was  a  notice  that  the  owners 
of  all  wagons  and  teams  destroyed  at  Isandula  would  be 
paid  at  once.  As  there  was  a  record  kept  of  the  owner- 
ship of  those  which  accompanied  the  column,  there  was 
of  course  no  difficulty  in  proving  the  loss,  and  both  Mr. 
Jackson  and  myself  received  orders  on  the  public  treas- 
ury for  their  value  last  week.  You  see  more  transports 
were  required,  and  there  was  such  a  panic  after  Isandula 
that  if  government  had  not  promptly  paid  for  their  losses 
there  they  would  have  got  no  more  wagons  from  farmers 
for  their  work.  We  have  already  four  more  building  for 
us  at  Newcastle." 

"I  suppose  there  wa3  a  great  fright  in  the  colony  after 
the  defeat?" 

"Terrible!"  Mr.  Humphreys  answered.  "Every  one 
imagined  that  the  Zulus  would  at  once  cross  the  frontier, 
and  carry  fire  and  sword  throughout  the  colony.  The 
rest  of  the  Fourth  Regiment  instantly  went  forward  to 
Colonel  Glyn's  column,  and  this  restored  it  to  something 
like  its  strength  before  the  fight.  The  rivers  were  high, 
which  may  have  accounted  partly  for  the  Zulus  not  tak- 
ing the  offensive.  Probably,  too,  the  great  loss  which 
they  themselves  must  have  suffered  had  some  effect; 
while  they  might  not  have  liked  to  have  advanced  in 
force  across  the  frontier,  being,  as  they  were,  threatened 


88  THE  TOUWG  COLONISTS. 

on  the  one  side  by  the  column  of  Colonel  Wood  at  Kam- 
bula,  and  on  the  other  by  that  of  Colonel  Pearson  at 
■  Ekowe." 

"I  have  not  heard  about  that  column,  father.  What 
are  they  doing?" 

"I  will  tell  you  about  it  this  evening,  Dick,  as  it  is 
rather  a  long  story." 

After  the  Jacksons  had  driven  off  in  the  evening,  Dick 
again  asked  his  father  about  the  doings  of  Colonel  Pear- 
son's column. 

"Well,  my  boy,  they  have  neither  suffered  a  great 
defeat,  like  that  under  Lord  Chelmsford,  nor  obtained  a 
decisive  victory,  like  the  column  of  Colonel  Wood;  they 
have  beaten  the  enemy  in  a  fight,  and  are  at  present  be- 
sieged in  a  place  called  Ekowe,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes 
spelled,  Etckowi."  The  column  consisted  of  eight  com- 
panies of  the  Third  Buffs  under  Colonel  Parnell;  six 
companies  of  the  Ninety-ninth,  under  Colonel  Welman; 
one  company  of  Eoyal  Engineers  and  two  seven-pounder 
guns;  they  had,  besides  a  naval  brigade  consisting  of  two 
hundred  and  seventy  blue-jackets  and  marines  of  her 
majesty's  ships  Active  and  Tenedos,  with  three  Catling 
grins,  two  hundred  mounted  infantry;  two  hundred 
colonial  mounted  riflemen  also  formed  part  of  the 
column,  with  about  two  thousand  men  of  the  native  con- 
tingent. They  had  great  difficulty  in  crossing  the 
Tugela,  which  was  nearly  four  hundred  yards  wide.  But, 
thanks  to  the  exertions  of  the  sailors,  a  flying  bridge  was 
constructed — that  is,  a  boat  with  ropes  attached  to  both 
shores,  so  that  it  can  be  pulled  backward  and  forward, 
or,  as  is  sometimes  done,  taken  backward  and  forward  by 
the  force  of  the  stream  itself. 

"It  was  the  13th  before  the  crossing  was  effected. 
The  -enemy  were  in  considerable  force  near  the  river.  A 
small  earthwork,  called  Fort  Tenedos,  was  thrown  up  on 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  89> 

the  Zulu  bank  of  the  river.  On  the  18th  the  leading 
division  started  on  its  march  into  the  enemy's  country, 
followed  the  next  day  by  the  second  division,  a  small  de- 
tachment being  left  to  garrison  the  fort.  Every  precau- 
tion was  taken  in  the  advance,  and  the  cavalry  scouted 
the  country  in  front  of  the  column.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  day's  march  the  Inyoni,  a  small  stream  ten  miles, 
north  of  the  Tugela,  was  reached. 

"The  second  day  they  encamped  on  the  UmsindusL 
The  third  day's  march  brought  the  column  to  the  Amat- 
ikulu;  beyond  this  the  country  became  covered  with 
bush,  and  great  care  was  then  taken,  as  it  was  known 
that  a  large  force  was  marching  from  Ulundi  to  oppose 
their  further  advance.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the 
22d,  the  day  which  proved  so  fatal  to  Colonel  Glyn'& 
column,  the  first  division  had  just  crossed  the  Inyezane 
Eiver  and  was  halted  for  breakfast,  when  they  were  at- 
tacked by  a  large  force  of  the  enemy,  who,  having  chosen 
this  position,  were  lying  in  wait  for  them.  The  ground 
chosen  for  the  halt  was  not  a  favorable  one,  as  it  was 
surrounded  by  bush.  But  as  no  other  place  could  be 
found  by  Major  Barrow,  who  commanded  the  horse,  near 
water,  the  halt  had  been  made  here.  Scarcely  had  they 
begun  their  preparations  for  breakfast  when  Captain 
Hart,  who  was  out  scouting  in  front  with  the  advance; 
company  of  the  native  contingent,  discovered  the  enemy 
advancing  rapidly  over  the  ridge  in  his  front  and. 
attempting  to  gain  the  bush  on  both  flanks  of  the  halting- 
place.  The  Zulus  at  once  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the 
native  contingent,  and  of  these  one  officer  and  four  non- 
commissioned officers  and  three  men  fell  almost  immedi- 
ately. 

"The  native  contingent  was  called  in,  and  the  naval 
brigade  and  two  guns,  under  Lieutenant  Lloyd,  and  two 
companies  of  the  Buffs  were  ordered  to  take  up  a  position 


90  THE  TOUNG  COLONISTS. 

upon  a  knoll  close  to  the  road,  on  which  they  were  halted. 
"The  sailors  at  once  opened  fire  on  the  enemy  with  two 
seven-pounders  and  two  twenty-four-pounder  rocket- 
tubes,  while  the  Buffs  poured  a  heavy  fire  with  their 
rifles  upon  them.  The  wagons  were  still  coming  up,  and 
these  were  parked  as  they  reached  the  ground;  and  two 
companies  of  the  Buffs,  who  were  guarding  them  on  the 
march,  being  now  free  to  act,  were  ordered  to  move  out 
in  skirmishing  order,  and  draw  the  enemy  out  of  the 
bush,  when,  as  they  retired,  they  were  exposed  to  the 
fire  from  the  knoll. 

"The  engineers  and  mounted  troops  moved  forward, 
with  the  infantry  skirmishers,  supported  by  a  half-com- 
pany of  the  Buffs  and  a  half-company  of  the  Ninety- 
ninth.  The  enemy  tried  to  outflank  their  left,  and 
Captain  Campbell  with  a  portion  of  the  naval  brigade 
and  some  of  the  native  contingent  went  out  and  drove 
them  from  a  kraal  of  which  they  had  taken  possession. 
A  still  further  advance  was  now  made,  and  the  Zulus 
took  to  flight,  leaving  three  hundred  dead  upon  the 
ground.  The  attacking  party  were  five  thousand  strong, 
and  against  these  some  five  or  six  hundred  of  our  troops 
were  engaged.  We  had  only  eight  Europeans  killed  and 
four  natives,  and  about  twenty  wounded.  The  next  day 
Colonel  Pearson  reached  Ekowe.  The  position  was  a 
strong  one,  as  the  place  stood  upon  rising  ground;  it 
had  been  a  missionary  station,  and  there  was  a  church 
which  could  at  the  worst  be  converted  into  a  citadel. 

"Colonel  Pearson  at  once  set  to  work  to  fortify  the 
position.  The  same  evening  the  news  arrived  of  the  dis- 
aster at  Isandula.  After  a  consultation  with  his  officers 
Colonel  Pearson  decided  to  hold  the  spot  at  which  he  now 
was,  convinced  that,  without  further  supplies  of  reinforce- 
ments, he  could  hold  the  place  for  two  months.  In 
order  to  economize  food,  the  mounted  men  and  most  of 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS,  91 

the  natives  were  sent  back,  and  there  remained  twelve- 
hundred  British  troops. 

"Colonel  Pearson  at  once  commenced  his  preparations 
for  a  siege.  Three  moderate-sized  brick  erections  were 
turned  into  storehouses,  and  the  church  into  a  hospital, 
the  tower  making  a  capital  lookout;  from  this  a  splen- 
did view  was  obtained,  the  hill  by  the  Tugela  being; 
clearly  visible.  The  men  set  to  work  to  fortify  the  place. 
The  intrenchments  were  of  a  six-sided  form,  about  sixty 
yards  across,  with  a  ditch  outside  them  eighteen  feet, 
deep  and  twelve  feet  wide.  Assegais  were  planted  in 
the  bottom.  Added  to  the  south  side  was  a  kraal  for 
cattle  and  horses,  also  defended  by  a  small  wall.  Outside 
the  fort  were  entanglements  of  rows  of  felled  trees  and 
bushes.  The  supply  of  water  was  obtained  from  a  good 
well,  outside  the  walls,  but  covered  by  the  fire  of  the 
fort.  The  guns  were  placed  in  position,  and  the  garrison 
was  ready  for  any  attack  that  might  be  made  upon  them. 
All  these  details  we  learned  in  the  early  days  of  the 
siege  by  occasional  messengers,  who  managed  to  find 
their  way  through,  but  these  had  been  few  and  far  be- 
tween; of  twelve  messengers  sent  out  the  first  week  of 
February,  only  one  got  through.  The  garrison  had  made 
several  sorties,  and  had  destroyed  Dabulamanzi's  kraal. 
They  also  went  out  and  cut  off  a  large  convoy  of  cattle 
on  its  way  to  Ulundi." 

"But  how  have  they  found  out  what  is  being  done  at 
Ekowe,  if  the  first  week  only  one  messenger  got  through 
out  of  twelve?"  Dick  said. 

"By  a  very  ingenious  plan,  Dick.  For  three  weeks 
we  knew  nothing  of  what  was  going  on,  and  then  it 
struck  an  engineer  that  communication  might  be  estab- 
lished by  flashing  signals." 

"What  are  flashing  signals,  father?" 

"Well,  my  boy,  as  a  general  rule  they  are  made  by 


$2  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

/ 
showing  a  light  either  for  a  long  or  short  period.     Thus, 

one  long  and  one  short  might  be  A;  one  short  and  one 
,longf  B;  two  short  and  one  long,  C;  and  soon  all  through 
the  alphabet.  The  distance  was  so  great  that  ordinary 
lights  would  not  have  answered,  but  it  struck  one  of  the 
engineers  that  with  a  looking-glass  the  sunlight  might  be 
reflected.  You  know  at  what  a  distance  the  sun's  reflec- 
tion on  a  window  can  be  made  out.  Well,  it  was  tried 
in  vain  for  a  whole  week  by  Lieutenant  Haynes,  of  the 
Royal  Engineers,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  de- 
lighted at  seeing  answering  flashes  from  the  hill  on  which 
Ekowe  stands.  Since  that  time  news  has  been  regularly 
received  every  day  by  this  means  of  what  is  passing  in 
the  fort. 

"In  the  meantime  preparations  were  being  made  for 
the  relief  of  the  garrison.  The  news  of  the  defeat  at 
Isandula  was  sent  home  by  a  swift  ship,  by  which  the 
particulars  were  telegraphed  from  St.  Vincent.  The 
people  at  home  did  not  lose  an  hour.  The  Shah,  which 
was  on  her  way  home,  heard  the  news  at  St.  Helena,  and 
Oaptain  Bradshaw,  who  commanded  her,  at  once,  on  his 
own  responsibility,  turned  his  ship's  head  south,  and 
steered  for  Durban,  bringing  with  him  the  garrison  of  the 
island.  Some  drafts  from  the  Fourth,  Eighty-eighth, 
and  Ninety-ninth  Regiments  were  brought  down  from 
the  Cape;  the  Boadicea  also  arrived,  and  every  man  who 
could  be  spared  from  her  and  the  Shah  was  landed  and 
sent  up  to  the  Tugela. 

"In  the  second  week  in  March  the  Fifty-seventh  and 
Ninety-first  Regiments  arrived  from  England.  One 
hundred  and  sixty  men  were  brought  over  from  the  gar- 
rison of  Mauritius,  and  a  few  days  later  the  third  bat- 
talion of  the  Sixtieth  Regiment  also  arrived.  These 
assembled  on  the  Tugela  on  the  27th,  and  that  day  set  out. 
The  vanguard  was  composed  of  the  seamen  and  marines 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  9$ 

of  the  Shall  and  Tenedos — six  hundred  and  forty  men 
and  two  Gatlings,  the  Ninety-first  Eegiment  of  nine  hun- 
dred men,  four  hundred  men  of  the  Ninety-ninth,  one 
hundred  and  eighty  men  of  the  Third  Buffs,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  mounted  infantry,  two  hundred  of  the 
mounted  native  contingent,  and  sixteen  hundred  men  of 
the  native  infantry  contingent.  The  second  division 
consisted  of  two  hundred  men  of  the  Boadicea  with  Gat- 
lings,  the  Thirty-seventh  Eegiment,  and  the  third  bat- 
talion of  the  Sixtieth,  nine  hundred  men,  and  two  troops, 
of  mounted  natives.  That  is  all  I  can  tell  you,  my  boy. 
The  news  only  arrived  here  yesterday  that  they  had 
started.  In  the  course  of  three  or  four  more  days  I  hope 
that  we  shall  hear  that  they  have  given  the  Zulus  a  thor- 
ough licking.  It  is  a  strong  force,  and  as  there  are  about 
thirty-three  hundred  white  troops  among  them,  and 
there  is  no  fear  of  their  being  taken  by  surprise  this 
time,  we  need  not  have  any  anxiety  about  the  result.  I 
understand  that,  in  accordance  with  the  advice  which 
Colonel  Pearson  has  flashed  from  Ekowe,  they  are  not 
going  to  follow  the  road  he  took,  but  to  keep  along  on, 
the  lower  ground  near  the  sea." 

"And  do  you  think,  father,  that  they  will  push  on  for 
Ulundi  when  they  have  rescued  the  garrison  of  Ekowe?" 

"No,  Dick;  I  think  they  are  quite  strong  enough  to  do 
so,  but  as  there  are  at  least  half  a  dozen  more  regiments 
on  their  way  out  from  England,  including  some  regi- 
ments of  cavalry,  it  will  be  more  prudent  to  stop  until 
our  whole  fighting  force  is  here,  when  we  ought  to  be 
enabled  to  make  short  work  of  them,  and  to  do  the  work 
completely  and  effectually.  And  now,  Dick,  I  am  thor- 
oughly sleepy — the  sooner  we  are  in  bed  the  better." 


94  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

THE  SECOND  ADVANCE. 

It  was  some  days  before  the  news  reached  Newcastle  of 
the  complete  success  of  the  relieving  column.  On  their 
first  day's  march  no  difficulty  was  met  with.  The  road 
was  a  good  one,  and  the  Zulus  did  not  show  in  any  force. 
The  column  halted  for  the  night  near  the  junction  of 
the  Inyoni  and  Amatikulu  Rivers.  The  wagons  were 
placed  in  laager  and  a  ditch  and  parapet  formed  round 
the  camp>  The  ground  was  open  and  the  wagons  were 
able  to  travel  six  abreast.  Numerous  Zulu  kraals  were 
passed,  but  these  were  found  deserted. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  1st  they  encamped  at 
Ginghilovo.  From  this.point  Ekowe  was  visible;  signals 
were  exchanged  with  the  besieged,  and  Colonel  Pearson 
warned  Lord  Chelmsford  that  the  Zulus  were  moving 
forward  to  attack  him.  The  night  passed  quietly,  but 
the  greatest  vigilance  was  maintained. 

At  daybreak  dense  masses  of  Zulus  were  seen  in  the 
distance,  and  at  six  o'clock  they  approached  the  camp. 
They  came  on  in  their  usual  order,  with  a  massive  center 
and  advanced  horns  on  either  flank.  The  British  were 
kept  lying  down  behind  the  shallow  trenches  they  had 
thrown  up.  The  Zulus  advanced  in  splendid  order  with 
a  sort  of  dancing  step.  Their  white  and  colored  shields, 
their  crests  of  leopard  skins  and  feathers,  and  the  long 
ox-tails  dangling  from  their  necks  gave  them  a  wild  and 
strange  appearance.     Every  ten  or  fifteen  yards  the  first 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  95 

line  would  halt,  a  shot  would  be  fired,  then  a  loud  yell 
burst  forth,  and  they  again  advanced  with  a  humming 
sound,  in  time  to  which  their  dancing  movement  was 
kept  up.  The  Sixtieth,  who  lay  opposite  to  the  point 
against  which  they  advanced,  withheld  their  fire  until 
the  first  line  of  skirmishers  came  to  within  three  hundred 
yards.  Then  a  deadly  sheet  of  flame  flashed  along  'he- 
ridge  of  the  shelter-trench,  and  a  number  of  the  Zulu 
warriors  fell. 

The  main  body  now  rushed  forward,  and  although  a 
tremendous  fusillade  was  kept  up  on  them,  the  Zulu  ad- 
vance pressed  on,  ever  fed  by  those  in  the  rear,  which 
deployed  in  excellent  order  as  they  reinforced  the  first 
line.  For  twenty  minutes  the  fire  of  the  Sixtieth  never 
ceased.  Again  and  again  the  Zulus  pressed  forward,  but 
their  leading  ranks  were  swept  away  by  the  storm  of 
bullets. 

At  half-past  six  the  Zulu  masses,  without  the  smallest 
confusion,  faced  to  their  right,  ran  round  in  columns, 
and  fell  upon  the  face  of  the  laager  held  by  the  Fifty- 
seventh  and  Ninety-first.  Here  they  were  as  hotly 
received  as  they  had  been  by  the  Sixtieth.  Notwith- 
standing the  deadly  fire,  the  Zulus  pressed  forward  with 
noble  courage.  They  had  ceased  to  shout  now,  and 
seemed  only  anxious  to  reach  the  square.  Four  times  they 
rushed  forward;  each  time  they  fell  back  with  terrible 
loss.  The  fire  of  the  soldiers  was  assisted  by  that  of  the 
native  contingent,  who,  posted  in  the  wagons  behind,, 
added  their  fire  to  that  of  the  Ninety-first  and  Fifty- 
seventh. 

The  last  attack,  was  led  by  Dabulamanzi  in  person,  and 
arrived  within  five  yards  of  the  muzzles  of  the  men's 
rifles;  indeed  one  or  two  of  the  chiefs  actually  seized  the 
hot  barrels  with  one  hand,  while  they  stabbed  at  the  men 
with  their  shortened  assegais. 


96  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

This  was  their  final  repulse,  and  they  now  began  to 
fall  back.  The  moment  that  they  did  so  the  cavalry 
dashed  out  in  pursuit,  and  chased  them  far  across  the 
plain.  The  Gatlings  and  nine-pounders  added  in  no 
slight  degree  to  the  effect  of  the  rifles.  The  entire  Eng- 
lish loss  was  but  two  officers  and  four  privates  killed, 
and  three  officers  and  thirty-four  privates  wounded; 
while  the  Zulu  loss  exceeded  one  thousand.  The  force 
under  Dabulamanzi  was  about  eleven  thousand,  and  a 
similar  force  was  close  at  hand,  but  fortunately  had  not 
joined  that  of  Dabulamanzi  before  he  attacked  the 
British. 

On  the  following  day  the  Fifty-seventh,  Sixtieth,  and 
Ninety-first,  together  with  the  mounted  men  and  several 
of  the  mounted  brigade,  taking  with  them  three  days' 
provisions,  marched  for  Ekowe.  Major  Barrow  scouted 
the  ground,  and  reported  that  everywhere  assegais, 
shields,  feathers,  ear  and  head  ornaments,  skins,  furs, 
blankets,  and  even  guns  were  lying  about  in  confusion, 
evidently  cast  away  in  their  headlong  flight  by  the  Zulus, 
but  that  none  of  these  had  been  seen. 

The  column,  however,  advanced  with  every  precaution, 
as  it  was  possible  that  Dabulamanzi  might  procure  rein- 
forcements. No  enemy,  however,  was  met  with,  and  the 
column  continued  its  march  until  they  were  met  by 
Colonel  Pearson  with  five  hundred  men,  coming  out  to 
lend  a  hand  to  them  in  case  they  should  be  attacked. 
The  united  column  then  marched  into  Ekowe.  The 
health  of  the  garrison  had  suffered  much  from  exposure 
to  the  sun  and  rain,  and  from  the  want  of  vegetables  and 
useful  medicine.  Beef  they  had  plenty  of,  as  it  was  con- 
sidered advisable  to  kill  and  consume  the  wagon-oxen 
rather  than  see  them  die  from  want  of  forage. 

The  great  event  of  the  siege  had  been  the  discovery  of 
certain  strange  flashes  of  light  on  the  white  walls  of  the 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  9? 

church-tower;  these,  after  puzzling  many  of  the  officers 
and  soldiers,  were  at  length  brought  under  the  notice  of 
an  officer  of  the  naval  brigade,  who  had  been  trained  in 
the  use  of  the  heliograph,  and  he  was  able  at  once  to 
explain  the  mystery.  They  were  three  days  before  they 
could  contrive  an  apparatus,  which  could  be  worked,  to 
reply.  Fortunately  an  old  mirror  was  found,  and  com- 
munication was  opened.  The  effect  of  their  renewed 
intercourse  with  the  outer  world,  and  of  learning  the 
preparations  which  were  being  made  for  their  relief, 
acted  more  beneficially  on  the  health  of  the  imprisoned 
garrison  than  all  the  tonics  the  hospital  could  afford. 
Nevertheless,  between  the  commencement  of  the  siege 
and  the  arrival  of  the  relief  thirty  deaths  had  occurred. 

To  the  great  regret  of  the  garrison  they  found  that  it 
had  been  determined  by  the  general  to  abandon  the  fort 
which  they  had  held  so  long,  as  the  whole  force  was  re- 
quired in  Natal  for  operations  in  the  field  in  conjunction 
with  the  reinforcements  on  their  way  out.  Before  leav- 
ing, however,  it  was  determined  to  strike  another  blow  at 
Dabulamanzi,  whose  private  residence  had  escaped  at  the 
time  that  his  kraal  was  burned.  A  small  party  of  about 
two  hundred  men  therefore  went  out  and  fired  the  place 
without  resistance.  Ekowe  was  evacuated,  and,  having 
left  a  garrison  at  Ginghilovo,  Lord  Chelmsford  retired 
with  his  force  across  the  Tugela. 

Every  day  for  the  next  fortnight  news  reached  New- 
castle of  the  arrival  of  one  or  more  transports  with  rein- 
forcements, and  in  a  month  from  the  date  of  the  arrival 
of  the  first  from  England  seventeen  transports  came  in, 
bringing  more  than  nine  thousand  soldiers  and  two  thou- 
sand horses.  The  force  consisted  of  two  regiments  of 
cavalry,  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  sabers,  two  batteries  of 
artillery  with  five  hundred  and  forty  men,  one  hundred 
and  ninety  men  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  six  regiments  of 


§8  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

infantry,  five  thousand  three  hundred  and  twenty  bayo- 
nets, drafts  of  the  regiments  already  in  the  colony  ana 
Army  Service  Corps'  men,  twelve  hundred.  Most  of 
■the  regiments  brought  their  equipments  complete  and 
ready  for  the  field — tents,  waterproof-sheets,  cooking 
Titensils,  and  camp  stores.  The  Army  Service  Corps 
brought  with  them  one  hundred  light  but  strongly-built 
■wagons. 

Among  the  arrivals  was  the  Prince  Imperial  of  France, 
"who  had  come  out  as  a  volunteer. 

To  convey  the  baggage  and  stores  of  so  numerous  a 
•force  an  immense  number  of  wagons  was  required,  ana 
a  very  urgent  appeal  was  made  to  the  loyalty  of  the  col- 
onists to  furnish  transport  for  the  troops  engaged  in 
iighting  their  battles. 

In  answer  to  this  appeal  Mr.  Humphreys  and  Mr. 
•Jackson  decided  to  send  down  the  new  wagons  which 
had  just  been  finished.  Immediately  they  heard  of  the 
decision,  Dick  and  Tom  begged  for  permission  again  to 
.accompany  the  wagons.  Their  mothers  at  first  refused 
^even  to  listen  to  the  request,  but  their  fathers,  talking 
the  matter  over  between  them,  agreed  that  harm  was 
not  likely  this  time  to  come  of  it. 

The  force  was  so  overwhelmingly  strong  that  there  was 
not  the  slightest  prospect  of  a  repetition  of  the  disaster 
•of  Isandula.  At  that  time  several  hundred  English  sol- 
diers had  been  surprised  and  crushed  by  some  twenty 
thousand  of  the  enemy,  but  in  future  every  precaution 
would  be  taken,  and  the  British  force  would  be  ten  times 
.as  strong  as  that  which  fought  at  Isandula.  The  colo- 
nists thought  that  it  would  be  really  an  advantage  to  the 
ooys  to  take  part  in  the  expedition;  it  was  quite  possible 
that  if  they  remained  in  the  colony  they  might  have  oc- 
casion to  take  part  in  wars  with  one  or  other  of  the 
native  tribes,  and  the  experience  that  they  would  gain  in 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  Q9 

the  campaign  would  in  that  case  assuredly  be  useful  to 
them.  Having  thus  decided,  Mr.  Humphreys  and  his 
friend  succeeded  in  obtaining  their  wives'  consent  to  the 
boys  accompanying  the  wagons,  and  in  high  glee  they 
started  for  Durban  on  the  20th  of  April. 

The  campaign  was  arranged  on  a  new  plan.  The* 
numerous  columns  in  which  the  strength  of  the  force  had 
been  frittered  away  were  abolished,  and  the  following 
was  adopted  as  the  designation  of  the  forces  in  the  field, 
under  the  lieutenant-general  commanding,  viz.:  First 
Division  South  African  Field-forces,  Major-General 
Crealock,  C.B.,  commanding,  consisting  of  all  troops  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Lower  Tugela;  Second  Division 
South  African  Field-forces,  Major-General  Newdigate 
commanding,  consisting  of  all  troops  in  the  Utrecht  dis- 
trict other  than  those  attached  to  the  Flying  Column 
under  Brigadier-General  Wood,  V.C.,  C.B.,  which  was 
designated  as  "Brigadier-General  Wood's  Flying 
Column."  Major-General  Marshall  assumed  command 
of  the  cavalry  brigade,  and  Major-General  the  Hon.  H. 
H.  Clifford,  C.B.,  V.C.,  took  up  the  command  of  the  base 
of  operations  and  superintendence  of  the  lines  of  com- 
munication. 

The  forces  were  divided  as  follows: 

First  Division  (General  Crealock's),  Lower  Tugela 
Command. 

Naval  Brigade .  80O 

M.  Battery,  Sixth  Brigade,  Eoyal  Artillery  .         .  90 

Detachment,  Eleventh — Seventh  Eoyal  Artillery  .  25 

Second — Third  Regiment       .        ,        .        „        o  836 

Fifty-seventh  Eegiment          .....  830 

Third— Sixtieth      "               880 

Eighty-eighth  "';';,.        .        .        .        .        .640 

Ninety-first             "      •        •        •        *        •        •  850 


100 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 


.^Ninety-ninth           " 

.      870 

Mounted  Infantry,  Second  Squadron             • 

70 

Army  Service  Corps       ..... 

50 

"Army  Hospital  Corps 

20 

^Eighth — Seventh  Eoyal  Artillery  .        .        . 

80 

O— Sixth              ,"            "            .        . 

50 

Lonsdale's  Horse 

84 

."Native  Contingent — 

.       151 

Total  strength,  effective  and  non-effective    . 

.   9,215 

Second  Division  (General  Newdi(*ate's). 

First  Dragoon-Guards  )  attached  to 
Seventeenth  Lancers    \  Second  Division 

.       650 

. .       62C> 

N— Fifth  Eoyal  Artillery       .        .        . 

N— Sixth             "          ..... 

go 

Tenth— Seventh  "         ..... 

70 

Tenth— Sixth       " 

30 

Eoyal  Engineers 

60 

Second — Fourth  Eegiment    .... 

7tf 

Detachment,  First — Thirteenth  Eegiment    . 

63 

Second — Twenty-first  (two  companies  at  Maritzbi 

lrg)   820 

First — Twenty-fourth  Eegiment   . 

.       530 

Second — Twenty-fourth    "            ... 

.       586 

Fifty-eighth  (one  company  at  Durban) 

.       906 

Eightieth  (several  companies  in  the  Transvaal) 

.       300 

Ninety-fourth  (one  company  at  Grey  Town) 

.       870 

Army  Service  Corps       .        . 

60 

Army  Hospital  Corps 

3C 

Grey  Town  District  Colonial  Volnnteers       . 

.      139 

Natal  Mounted  Police            •        .        •        « 

7S 

THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 


101 


Natal  Carabineers           .        .        .        .        •        .  2T 

Newcastle  Mounted  Rifles 18- 

Buffalo  Mounted  Guard 20* 

Native  Contingent — Europeans     .        .        •        .  41 

Natives  (foot)     .         .        .         ...         .  3,128 

Natives  (mounted) 243 

Total  strength,  effective  and  non-effective    .  10,238 

General  "Wood's  Flying  Column. 

Eleventh— Seventh  Royal  Artillery       ...  87' 

Royal  Engineers 13 

First — Thirteenth  Regiment 721 

Ninetieth                    " 823 

First  Squadron,  Mounted  Infantry        ...  103 

Army  Service  Corps 9 

Army  Hospital  Corps     ......  13* 

Frontier  Light  Horse 173 

Raker's  Horse                                            •        •  179 

Transvaal  Rangers          .        •.        .         .        .        .  141 
First  Battalion,  Wood's  Irregulars — 

Europeans                 n 14 

Natives       .        .         .   ' 377~ 

Second  Battalion,  "Wood's  Irregulars — 

Europeans 5 

Natives 355 

Natal  Native  Horse- 
Europeans           4 

Natives 75^ 

Total  strength,  effective  and  non-effective     .        .  3,092 

Grand  Total. 

First  Division 9,215 

Second     " 10,238. 

General  Wood's  Flying  Column          .        .        .  3,092 
Total,  effective  and  non-effective,  namely— 
Europeans,  15,660,  and  natives,  6,885        •        .  22,545- 


102  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Out  of  this  grand  total  there  were  about  four  hundr&J 
sick  and  non-effective  witn  the  First  Division,  three  huu. 
u«lred  with  the  Second  Division,  and  six  hundred  (includ- 
ing some  of  Wood's  Irregulars,  absent  and  not  accounted 
ior  since  the  28th  of  March)  with  Wood's  Flying  Column. 
So  that  altogether,  deducting,  say,  fifteen  hundred  Lord 
•Chelmsford  had  at  his  disposal,  from  the  middle  of  April, 
a  total  of  twenty-one  thousand  troops,  of  which  over  fif- 
teen thousand  were  European.  Colonels  Pearson  and 
Wood  were  made  brigadier-generals,  and  the  former  was 
to  command  No.  1  Brigade,  First  Division,  and  Colonel 
Pemberton,  Third-Sixtieth,  the  other.  They  both,  how- 
<ever,  had  to  give  up  their  commands  through  sickness, 
and  Colonels  Rowland,  V.C.,  C.B.,  and  Clark,  Fifty- 
seventh  Kegiment,  succeeded  them. 

Major-General  Clifford,  V.C.,  C.B.,  had  the  following 
staff  for  the  management  of  the  base  of  the  operations 
and  the  maintenance  of  the  lines  of  communication 
between  Zululand  and  Natal: 

Lieutenant  Westmacott,  Seventy-seventh  Foot,  aid- 
■de-camp;  Major  W.  J.  Butler,  C.B.,  assistant-adjutant 
and  quartermaster-general,  stationed  at  Durban;  and  Cap- 
tain W.  R.  Fox,  Eoyal  Artillery,  deputy  assistant- 
adjutant  and  quartermaster-general. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  boys  with  the  wagons  at  Pieter- 
Maritzburgthey  reported  themselves  at  the  headquarters 
of  the  transport  corps,  and  were  told  that  they  were  not 
to  go  down  to  Durban,  but  were  to  load  up  at  once  and 
accompany  the  Dragoon-Guards,  who  were  to  march  the 
next  morning  for  the  front. 

This  time  the  lads  were  mounted,  as  their  fathers 
thought  that  they  would  gain  more  benefit  from  their 
experience  if  they  were  able  to  move  about  instead  of 
being  confined  to  the  sides  of  their  wagons,  and  it  was 
a  satisfaction  to  their  mothers  that,  in  case  of  any  un- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  103 

toward  event  again  happening,  they  would  be  in  a  better 
position  for  making  their  escape. 

General  Newdigate's  columns  were  encamped  atLand- 
mann's  Drift;  the  cavalry,  under  General  Marshall,  was 
also  there.     The  march  was  altogether  without  incident. 

Some  days  passed  quietly,  when  a  small  party  of  horse 
made  an  expedition  to  Isandula;  they  reported  that 
nearly  a  hundred  wagons  were  still  standing  upon  the 
field  of  battle.  On  the  17th  of  May,  three  days  later,  the 
rumor  ran  through  the  camp  that  the  cavalry  were  to* 
start  on  the  19th,  to  bury  the  dead  and  bring  away  the 
wagons.  The  Army  Service  Corps  and  wagons  were  to> 
accompany  the  party,  which  was  to  consist  of  the 
Dragoon-Guards  and  Lancers,  with  a  party  of  native 
mounted  scouts. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  18th  the  two  boys  went  to  Colo- 
nel Marshall's  tent;  they  waited  patiently  until  he  came 
out,  accompanied  by  two  or  three  other  officers. 

"We  have  come  to  ask,  sir,  if  you  will  allow  us  to  go 
with  your  column.  We  are  in  charge  of  wagons  here, 
but  they  are  not  going.  We  were  at  the  battle,  and  saw 
the  whole  thing,  and  were  taken  prisoners  afterward  and 
carried  to  Umbelleni's  kraal,  where  we  were  liberated 
when  Colonel  Wood's  cavalry  attacked  the  Zlobani  hill.. 
We  are  well  mounted,  sir,  and  are  good  shots;  so,  if  you? 
will  let  us  go,  we  could  keep  with  the  scouts  and  not  be 
in  your  way." 

"How  did  you  see  the  fight?"  General  Marshall  asked. 

"We  had  gone  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  sir,  before  it 
began,  and  fortunately  the  natives  did  not  notice  us." 

"Oh,  yes,  you  can  go,"  the  general  said.  "Probably 
you  can  give  us  a  better  account  of  the  action  than  any 
one  else,  as  others  who  escaped  were  occupied  by  their 
own  business,  and  could  not  mark  the  general  progress 
of  the  battle.     So  you  were  taken  prisoners!    Well,  I  am 


104  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

going  out  now,  but  if  you  will  call  in  this  evening  at 
about  half-past  eight  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  a  talk  with 
Tou." 

In  the  evening  the  boys  called  upon  the  general,  one 
of  the  most  popular  and  dashing  officers  in  the  service. 
Three  or  four  of  his  staff  were  there,  and  all  listened 
with  great  interest  to  the  boys'  account  of  their  adven- 
tures. 

"You  seem  to  have  plenty  of  pluck  and  coolness, 
youngsters/'  the  general  said,  when  they  had  finished. 
"In  future  you  need  not  trouble  to  ask  for  permission  to 
accompany  me  whenever  the  cavalry  go  out,  providing 
we  have  natives  mounted  with  us;  you  must  go  as 
recruits,  and  can  either  keep  with  them  or  ride  with  my 
orderlies." 

Much  pleased  with  the  permission  given,  the  lads  re- 
turned to  the  wagons,  and  the  next  morning  they  started 
on  their  way. 

The  column  bivouacked  that  night  at  Dill's  Town, 
.and  reached  Rorke's  Drift  between  three  and  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  were  there  joined  by  the  Natal 
Oarabineers  and  Colonel  Harness,  R.A.,  with  guns. 

At  daybreak  on  the  20th  the  reconnoitering  force 
orossed  the  river.  No  signs  of  the  enemy  were  seen 
until  they  neared  Isandula;  then  signal-fires  blazed  up 
on  the  hills  to  the  right,  and  spread  quickly  from  hill  to 
hill  far  into  the  interior.  Pushing  steadily  on,  the  plain 
of  Isandula  was  reached  by  ten  o'clock.  The  whole 
scene  of  the  conflict  was  overgrown  with  long  grass, 
thickly  intermixed  with  growing  crops  of  oats  and  Indian 
oorn.  Lying  thickly  here,  and  scattered  over  a  wide 
area,  lay  the  corpses  of  the  soldiers.  The  site  of  the 
oamp  itself  was  marked  by  the  remains  of  the  tents,  in- 
termingled with  a  mass  of  broken  trunks,  boxes,  meat- 
4ins,  papers,  books,  and  letters  in  wild  disorder.     The 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  .  105 

sole  visible  objects,  however,  rising  above  the  grass,  were 
the  wagons,  all  more  or  less  broken  up. 

The  scouts  were  placed  in  all  directions  to  give  warn- 
ing of  the  approach  of  any  enemies.  The  Army  Service 
Corps  set  to  work  to  harness  the  seventy  pairs  of  led 
horses  they  had  brought  with  them  to  the  best  of  the 
wagons,  and  the  troops  wandered  over  the  scene  of  the 
■engagement,  and  searched  for  and  buried  all  the  bodies 
they  found,  with  the  exception  of  those  of  the  Twenty- 
lourfch  Eegiment,  as  these,  Colonel  Glyn  had  asked, 
should  be  left  to  be  buried  by  their  comrades.  The 
bodies  of  the  officers  of  Colonel  Durnford's  corps  were 
all  found  together,  showing  that  when  all  hope  of  escape 
was  gone  they  had  formed  in  a  group  and  defended 
themselves  to  the  last.  The  men  of  the  Koyal  Artillery 
buried  all  the  bodies  of  their  slain  comrades  who  could 
be  found,  but  the  shortness  of  the  time  and  the  extent  of 
the  ground  over  which  the  fight  had  extended  rendered 
anything  like  a  thorough  search  impossible. 

The  object  of  the  expedition  was  not  to  fight,  and  as 
at  any  moment  the  Zulus  might  appear  in  force  upon  the 
field,  a  start  was  made  as  soon  as  the  wagons  were  ready. 
Forty  of  the  best  wagons  were  brought  out,  with  some 
water-carts,  a  gun-limber  and  a  rocket-battery  cart. 
Twenty  wagons  in  a  disabled  condition  were  left  behind. 
Some  seventy  wagons  were  missing,  these  having  been 
carried  off  by  the  Zulus,  filled  either  with  stores  or  with 
their  own  wounded.  Having  accomplished  this  work 
the  cavalry  rejoined  headquarters  at  Landmann's  Drift. 

On  the  27th  of  May  the  column  advanced,  Newdigate's 
division  leading  the  way.  By  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon the  men  had  crossed  the  Buffalo  and  marched  to 
Kopje-allein  through  a  bare  and  treeless  country.  One 
of  the  most  popular  figures  in  the  camp  was  the  Prince 
Imperial  of  France,  who,  having  received  a  military  edu> 


106  -  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

cation  at  Woolwich,  and  being  anxious  to  see  service,  had 
applied  for  and  obtained  leave  to  accompany  the  expedi- 
tion. The  young  prince  had  been  extremely  popular  at 
Woolwich,  and  was  indeed  an  immense  favorite  with  all 
who  knew  him — high-spirited  and  full  of  life,  and  yet 
singularly  gentle  and  courteous  in  manner.  He  was  by 
nature  adapted  to  win  the  hearts  of  all  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him.  His  abilities  too  were  of  the  very  high- 
est order,  as  was  proved  by  the  fact  that,  although  suf- 
fering under  the  disadvantage  of  being  a  foreigner,  he 
yet  came  out  so  high  in  the  final  examination  at  Wool- 
wich as  to  be  entitled  to  a  commission  in  the  Koyal 
Engineers.  When  it  is  considered  how  keen  is  the  com- 
petition to  enter  Woolwich,  and  that  all  the  students 
there,  having  won  their  places  by  competitive  examina- 
tions, may  be  said  to  be  considerably  above  the  average 
of  ability,  it  will  be  seen  that,  for  one  who  had  previously 
gone  through  an  entirely  different  course  of  education, 
and  had  now  to  study  in  a  language  that  was  not  his  own, 
to  take  rank  among  the  foremost  of  these  was  a  proof 
both  of  exceptional  ability  and  industry. 

A  splendid  career  was  open  for  the  young  prince,  for 
there  is  little  doubt  that,  had  he  lived,  he  would  sooner 
or  later  have  mounted  the  throne  of  his  father,  and  there 
are  few  pages  of  history  more  sad  than  those  which  relate 
to  his  death  in  a  paltry  skirmish  in  a  corner  of  Africa. 
To  Englishmen  the  page  is  all  the  more  sad,  inasmuch 
as,  had  the  men  accompanying  him  acted  with  the  cool- 
ness and  calmness  generally  shown  by  Englishmen  in  a 
momant  of  danger,  instead  of  being  carried  away  by  a 
cowardly  panic,  the  prince  imperial  might  yet  be  alive. 

At  Kopje-allein  Newdigate's  column  was  joined  by 
that  of  General  Wood.  Three  days  were  spent  in  care- 
fully axploring  the  country,  and  on  the  1st  of  June  the 
divis  m,  as  nearly  as  possible  twenty  thousand  strong, 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  107 

■with  a  baggage-train  of  four  hundred  native  wagons, 
moved  forward  and  encamped  near  the  Itelezi  Eiver. 
The  flying  column  of  General  Wood  went  on  one  march 
ahead,  and  the  country  was  carefully  scouted  by  Buller's 
horse  for  twenty  miles  round,  and  no  Zulus  were  found. 


,108  TE®  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ULUNDI. 

On  Sunday,  the  1st  of  June,  General  Wood  with  a  small 
escort  was  out  reconnoitering  in  advance  of  his  column, 
which  was  about  five  miles  in  front  of  the  force  of  Gen- 
eral Newdigate.  The  morning  was  clear  and  fresh,  the 
ridges  of  the  hills  on  either  side  were  dotted  with  Bul- 
ler's  horsemen.  They  crossed  the  river  by  a  ford,  and 
having  ridden  about  another  mile  forward  they  observed 
some  of  the  vedettes  on  the  high  ground  signaling  that 
horsemen  were  approaching. 

Riding  on  to  see  who  they  could  be,  they  were  joined 
by  Colonel  Buller  and  a  dozen  of  his  men,  and  together 
they  rode  forward  to  meet  the  five  men  who  were  seen 
approaching.  In  a  few  seconds  Kieutenant  Carey  and 
four  troopers  of  Bettington's  Horse  rode  up,  and  when 
they  had  told  their  story  English  soldiers  had  the  shame 
and  humiliation  of  knowing  that  an  English  officer  and 
four  English  troopers  had  escaped  unwounded  from  a 
Zulu  ambush,  in  which  they  had  left  a  gallant  young 
prince,  the  guest  of  England  and  the  hope  of  France,  to* 
be  barbarously  slain. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  prince  had  learned  that  a 
patrol  was  to  be  sent  out  in  advance  of  the  column,  and 
had  applied  for  and  obtained  permission  to  accompany 
it.  Colonel  Harrison,  acting  as  quartermaster-general, 
granted  the  permission,  and  had  an  interview  with  tha 
prince. 


TEE  IOUNG  COLONISTS.  10£ 

Six  men  of  Bettington's  Horse  and  the  same  number 
■of  Shepstone's  Basutos  were  to  form  the  party;  but  un- 
fortunately the  Basutos  did  not  come  up  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  the  patrol  consisted  therefore  only  of  the 
prince,  Lieutenant  Carey,  the  six  men  of  Bettington's 
Horse,  and  one  Zulu.  Considering  the  importance  of  the 
safety  of  the  prince,  a  grave  responsibility  attaches  to 
the  staff-officer  who  allowed  him  to  go  with  so  small  a 
party. 

After  an  hour's  ride  they  reached  the  crest  of  a  hill 
and  dismounted  to  fix  the  position  of  some  distant  points 
by  the  compass.  Here  Colonel  Harrison  overtook  them, 
•and  remarked  that  the  whole  of  the  escort  was  not  with 
them,  and  that  they  had  better  wait  for  the  Basutos  to 
come  up.     The  prince  said: 

"Oh,  we  are  quite  strong  enough — besides,  we  have 
.all  our  friends  around  us,  and  with  my  glass  I  can  see 
General  Marshall's  cavalry  coming  up." 

Unfortunately  Colonel  Harrison  did  not  insist  that  the 
party  should  wait  until  the  Basutos  arrived,  and  they 
proceeded  another  seven  miles,  and  then  halted  in  an 
isolated  kraal  in  a  valley.  A  worse  spot  could  not  have 
been  selected  for  a  halt,  as  it  was  surrounded  by  long 
•grass,  six  or  seven  feet  high;  here  the  saddles  were  taken 
off  the  horses,  and  coffee  was  prepared.  Without  any 
search  being  made  they  sat  down  to  make  coffee,  although 
it  was  clear,  from  the  burnt  embers,  bones,  and  other 
debris,  that  the  place  had  been  but  recently  occupied. 

The  Zulu  was  the  first  to  see  the  enemy  in  the  long 
grass,  and  the  horses  were  at  once  saddled.  The  escort 
stood  ready  by  them,  and  just  as  the  prince  gave  the 
word,  "Prepare  to  mount,"  the  Zulus'  war-cry  burst 
out,  and  some  guns  were  fired  from  the  grass. 

The  horses  started  at  the  outburst,  and  some  broke 
away.    Never  were  a  body  of  troops  in  an  enemy's  coun- 


110  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

try  so  unprepared  for  the  attack.  Not  a  carbine  was 
loaded!  not  a  sentry  placed!  Each  of  the  troopers,  in- 
cluding the  officer,  was  seized  with  a  wild  panic,  and 
thought  only  of  flight — one  indeed  had  fallen  at  the  first 
shot.  The  prince's  horse  was  ill-tempered  and  badly 
broken,  and,  frightened  by  the  firing  and  yells,  he  was  so- 
restive  that  the  prince  was  unable  to  mount.  Had  one 
of  those  men  stood  for  an  instant  at  his  head  the  prince 
might  have  gained  his  saddle,  but  all  had  galloped  away, 
leaving  him  alone.  Running  by  his  horse,  he  in  vain 
endeavored  to  mount;  he  had  not  had  time  to  tighten 
the  girth,  the  saddle  slipped  round,  and  the  horse  gal- 
loped away.  Unfortunately  the  prince's  revolvers  were 
in  the  holsters,  so  he  was  unarmed,  save  with  his  sword, 
and  with  this  he  stood  bravely  at  bay,  and  died  nobly 
facing  his  foes,  who  pierced  him  with  assegais  at  a  dis- 
tance. 

According  to  Zulu  accounts  afterward  obtained,  there 
were  but  five  or  six  men  engaged  in  the  attack,  and  had 
the  Englishmen  accompanying  the  prince,  nay,  even  had 
one  of  them,  possessed  but  the  smallest  amount  of  pres- 
ence of  mind  and  courage,  the  prince  imperial  might 
have  been  saved.  There  is  no  blacker  page  in  the  annals 
of  English  military  history. 

The  feeling  of  indignation,  shame,  and  regret  in  the 
English  camp  when  this  shameful  episode  was  known 
was  indescribable.  Of  all  the  party  the  friendly  Zulu 
was  the  only  one  who  came  out  with  honor;  he  had  gone 
toward  the  river  to  fetch  water  when  he  discovered  the 
enemy,  and  might  have  instantly  taken  flight.  He  re- 
turned, however,  and  gave  warning  that  the  Zulus  were 
lurking  round.  Even  then  it  does  not  appear  that  he 
attempted  to  fly,  but  fought  the  foe  until  overcome  by 
numbers.  His  body  was  afterward  discovered  not  far 
irom  that  of  the  prince,  riddled  with  wounds,  together 


TEE  TOUNG  COLONISTS.  HI 

with  a  number  of  his  own  assegais  broken,  but  stained 
with  the  blood  of  his  assailants. 

The  next  morning  the  cavalry  rode  out  to  find  and 
bring  in  the  prince's  body.  When  it  was  discovered,  it 
was  tenderly  brought  into  camp.  It  was  afterward  taken 
over  to  England,  and  laid  by  the  remains  of  his  father  at 
Chislehurst.  A  court-martial  was  held  on  Lieutenant 
Carey.  The  sentence  was  kept  secret,  but  it  was  gener- 
ally understood  that  he  was  dismissed  from  the  service 
with  ignominy.  He  was  sent  home  under  arrest,  but  on 
his  arrival  there  the  proceedings  of  the  court-martial 
were  declared  null  and  void  on  account  of  some  technical 
irregularity,  and  he  was  ordered  to  resume  his  duties, 
It  was  reported  that  this  extraordinary  leniency  was 
shown  by  the  special  desire  of  the  empress,  who  made  a 
personal  request  to  the  queen  that  nothing  should  be 
done  in  the  matter. 

Early  in  June  some  messengers  arrived  in  Lord  Chelm- 
ford's  camp  from  Cetewayo.  Lord  Chelmsford  told  them 
that  before  any  negotiations  could  be  entered  into  the 
whole  of  the  spoil  taken  at  Isandula,  especially  the  two 
captured  seven-pounder  guns,  must  be  restored. 

Considerable  delays  now  took  place,  and  for  three 
weeks  a  force  Of  Englishmen  sufficient  to  march  through 
and  through  Zululand  in  every  direction  was  kept  doing 
nothing  at  a  distance  of  three  days'  march  from  the 
enemy's  capital.  So  extraordinary  and  unaccountable 
was  the  delay  that  the  English  government  appointed 
Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  to  go  out  to  supersede  Lord  Chelms- 
ford. Upon  the  receipt  of  this  news,  preparations  for  an 
advance  were  at  last  made.  On  the  21st  General  New- 
digate's  column  reached  the  right  bank  of  the  Umlatoosi. 
General  Crealock,  who  commanded  the  division  which 
was  operating  by  the  sea,  also  moved  forward  about  this 
time,  but  met  with  such  difficulties,  owing  to  the  sick- 


112  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

ness  which  attacked  his  transport-train,  that  he  was 
unable  to  co-operate  with  the  first  division,  although  his 
iorce  did  service  by  occupying  a  large  number  of  the 
enemy,  who  would  otherwise  have  been  free  to  act  against 
the  main  column. 

Between  the  24th  and  26th  General  Newdigate's  and 
"Wood's  columns  advanced  but  six  miles.  But  Buller 
"with  his  horse  scouted  ahead,  and  cut  up  a  number  of 
Zulus  who  were  engaged  in  burning  the  grass,  to  hinder 
the  advance  of  the  horses  and  cattle.  On  the  26th 
Colonel  Drury-Lowe,  with  the  light  cavalry,  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  Buller's  men  and  two  guns,  went  out 
and  attacked  and  burned  five  large  military  kraals.  On 
the  27th  the  column  advanced  five  miles  toward  Ulundi, 
leaving  their  tents  behind  them,  and  taking  only  twa 
hundred  ammunition  wagons  and  ten  days'  rations;  five 
hundred  infantry  were  left  to  guard  the  stores. 

On  the  afternoon  of  that  day  some  messengers  came  in 
from  Cetewayo,  bringing  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the 
cattle  captured  at  Isandula,  together  with  a  pair  of  ele- 
phant's tusks/and  a  letter  written  in  English  by  a  trader 
captured  at  Isandula.  The  letter  said  that  the  king 
could  not  comply  with  all  Lord  Chelmsford's  commands, 
-as  the  arms  taken  from  us  at  Isandula  were  not  brought 
to  him,  and  that  it  was  beyond  his  power  as  a  king  to 
order  or  compel  any  of  his  regiments  to  lay  down  their 
arms.  He  said  the  cannon  should  be  sent  in,  and  on 
the  receipt  of  the  cattle  and  these  weapons  the  English 
must  retire  from  Zululand.  The  trader  had  written  in  a 
corner  of  the  letter,  in  pencil,  a  few  words  of  warning, 
and  an  intimation  that  Cetewayo  had  with  him  at  Ulundi 
a  picked  force  of  twenty  thousand  men. 

Lord  Chelmsford  refused  to  receive  the  tusks,  and  told 
the  messengers  to  inform  Cetewayo  that  before  he 
should  think  of  retiring  all  the  conditions  must  be  com- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  113 

plied  with  and  the  Zulu  regiments  lay  down  their  arms. 
Late  in  the  evening  several  large  bodies  of  the  enemy, 
amounting  to  some  thousands,  were  noticed  moving  from 
the  direction  of  Ulundi,  passing  by  their  left  flank. 

The  next  morning  General  Wood  moved  forward  as  far 
as  the  left  bank  of  the  White  Umvolosi,  and  Newdigate's 
column  followed  in  the  afternoon.  Wood's  division 
bivouacked  on  the  further  side  of  the  river,  Newdigate's 
halted  on  the  right.  The  most  vigilant  watch  was  kept, 
with  pickets  in  every  direction,  and  patrols  of  cavalry 
beyond  these. 

At  daybreak  on  the  27th  the  main  body  crossed  the 
river,  and  joined  Wood  on  the  left  bank.  They  were 
now  but  fifteen  miles  from  Ulundi,  and  the  king's  five 
kraals  were  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  Three  days  were 
given  to  Cetewayo  to  comply  with  the  conditions,  but 
the  original  terms  were  altered  so  far  that  Lord  Chelms- 
ford consented  to  receive  one  thousand  captured  rifles 
instead  of  insisting  upon  the  regiments  laying  down  their 
arms.  While  waiting,  the  army  remained  on  the  Umvo- 
losi, having  retired  to  the  right  side,  pending  the  decision 
of  peace  or  war. 

During  these  three  days  the  Zulus  had  made  many 
hostile  demonstrations  against  us.  On  the  first  and  sec- 
ond they  kept  up  a  scattered  fire  at  distant  ranges  at  our 
men, --and  on  the  third,  growing  bolder,  pushed  their 
skirmishers  down  to  the  rocks  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  and  fired  upon  the  men,  as  they  were  watering 
their  horses  in  the  stream.  One  horse  was  killed  and 
several  men  wounded. 

Buller  therefore  asked  and  obtained  permission  to 
made  a  raid  on  the  other  side.  A  couple  of  gu::s  were 
brought  into  requisition  to  defend  his  crossing,  and  two 
or  three  rounds  of  shrapnel  sent  a  crowd  of  Zulus,  who 
had  approached  the  opposite  heights,  straggling  in  all 


X14  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

directions.  Buller's  horse,  the  mounted  infantry,  and 
Baker's  horse  dashed  over  the  river  at  once.  At  full 
speed  they  raced  across  the  country;  Baker's  men, 
yttided  by  their  leader,  inclined  to  the  left  front,  by 
Buller's  orders,  to  carry  and  hold  a  hillock  which  com- 
manded the  ford. 

Colonel  Eaaf,  with  a  portion  of  Buller's  horse,  was 
halted  near  the  kraal  of  Unodwingo  to  act  as  a  reserve, 
and  Buller,  with  one  hundred  of  his  best  mounted  men, 
pushed  on  with  the  intention  of  exploring  the  ground  as 
far  as  possible  toward  Ulundi.  He  knew  that  the  bulk 
of  the  king's  army  was  away  upon  Lord  Chelmsford's 
right  flank,  and  thought  therefore  that  he  mighb  push 
on  to  Ulundi  without  opposition.  The  country  consisted 
of  a  plain,  across  which  ran  some  stony  undulations,  and 
at  one  point  were  two  hollows,  united  at  a  right  angle. 
The  Zulu  general  disposed  his  men  in  shelter,  and  as 
Buller  with  his  little  band  of  horsemen  rode  up  they  rose 
and  poured  a  very  heavy  fire  into  the  ranks  of  the  horse- 
men. Sudden  and  unexpected  as  was  this  attack,  Bul- 
ler's men  were  too  well  used  to  native  fighting  to  evince 
the  slightest  confusion.  In  the  most  perfect  order  they 
began  to  fall  back  in  alternate  ranks,  keeping  up  a  steady 
fire  upon  the  enemy,  who  were  eagerly  advancing.  Eaaf 
and  his  men  rode  up  to  the  assistance  of  the  hotly-pressed 
party,  and  Baker's  horse,  upon  their  hillock,  opened  a 
steady  fire  upon  the  Zulus.  Gradually  and  steadily  the 
cavalry  fell  back  toward  the  river,  the  two  guns  on  the 
opposite  bank  aiding  them  by  their  fire  of  grape  and 
shrapnel  upon  the  Zulus,  who  pressed  forward  with 
extreme  bravery. 

Many  gallant  deeds  were  done.  Lord  "William  Beres- 
ford,  who  had  accompanied  tb*  party  as  a  volunteer,  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  bravery  and  coolness.  Seeing 
upon  the  ground  a  dismounted  and  wounded  trooper, 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  115 

surrounded  by  a  dozen  Zulus,  he  wheeled  his  horse  and 
dashed  down  among  them,  knocking  over  three  with  the 
rush  of  his  horse,  and  cutting  down  two  with  right  and 
left  strokes  of  his  saber;  in  another  moment  he  had  the 
wounded  man  on  his  horse  behind  him,  and  carried  him 
off  in  safety. 

Commander  d'Arcy,  also  seeing  a  wounded  man  on 
the  ground,  tried  to  carry  him  off,  but  his  horse,  being 
restive,  reared  and  fell  back  upon  him,  so  that  the  unfor- 
tunate trooper  was  overtaken  and  assegaied;  while 
D'Arcy,  who  was  severely  bruised  by  falling  on  his 
revolver,  was  able  to  get  back  safely,  but  was  unable  to 
take  part  in  the  next  day's  fight. 

A  little  before  daybreak  Wood  with  his  flying  column 
crossed  the  river,  followed  by  the  main  army.  The 
whole  of  the  baggage  was  left  in  charge  of  the  Twenty- 
fourth,  and  nothing  was  taken  save  the  ammunition  and 
water-carts,  each  man  carrying  four  days'  supply  of  bis- 
cuits and  preserved  meat  in  his  haversack.  The  crossing 
of  the  river  was  made  without  any  opposition,  but  the 
movements  of  the  troops  were  watched  by  a  party  of 
Zulus  from  a  hillock  on  the  left. 

As  soon  as  favorable  ground  had  been  reached  Wood 
was  signaled  to  halt  and  wait  for  the  main  body,  and 
when  the  junction  was  effected  the  order  was  given  to 
form  a  large  hollow  square.  Inside  this  square  were  two 
companies  of  engineers,  together  with  the  ammunition 
carts,  water  carts,  and  ambulance  wagons,  carts  with  in- 
trenching tools,  stretchers  and  bearers,  together  with 
two  Gatling  guns  in  a  reserve.  The  front  face  of  the 
square  was  formed  by  the  Eightieth  Eegiment,  with  two 
Gatling  guns  in  their  center  and  two  seven-pounders  on 
their  right.  The  right  face  of  the  square  was  formed  of 
seven  companies  of  the  Thirteenth  Eegiment.  Next  to 
these  came  two  seven-pounder  and  one  nine-pounder 


116  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

guns;  four  companies  of  the  Fifty-eighth  completed  the 
line  on  this  side.  The  rear  face  was  composed  of  two 
companies  of  the  Twenty-first,  and  three  companies  of 
the  Ninety-fourth,  with  a  nine-pounder  gun.  On  the 
left  or  west  flank  were  three  companies  of  the  Ninety- 
fourth,  two  seven-pounder  guns,  eight  companies  of  the 
Ninetieth,  and  two  nine-pounders.  Buller's  cavalry 
were  away,  scouring  the  country  on  the  flanks.  Colonel 
Drury-Lowe,  with  two  squadrons  of  the  Seventeenth 
Lancers  and  Captain  Shepstone's  Basutos,  formed  the 
rearguard.  The  square  moved  forward  for  a  few  miles, 
when  they  began  to  near  the  smaller  kraals.  Toward 
the  left  front  the  Zulu  columns  could  now  be  seen  across, 
the  plain,  with  the  sun  glancing  down  upon  their  long 
lines  of  white  shields.  Upon  reaching  the  first  kraal  the 
square  was  halted  while  it  was  fired.  The  next  kraal  was 
a  very  large  one,  called  Unodwingo.  This  was  also  fired;, 
but,  as  it  was  found  that  the  smoke  drifted  across  the 
plain  so  as  to  act  as  a  screen  to  the  Zulus,  Lord  Chelms- 
ford ordered  its  extinction.  Strong  columns  of  the 
enemy  could  now  be  seen  moving  out  in  good  order  from 
TJlundi,  and  the  square  halted  on  some  si  ightly  rising 
ground. 

The  Zulus  soon  opened  a  dropping  .fire  on  the  right 
front,  and  from  a  strong  force  operating  on  some  broken 
ground  near  Unodwingo  on  the  left.  By  nine  o'clock 
the  Zulu  attack  was  fairly  developed.  Buller's  men 
then  made  a  strong  demonstration  on  the  left,  driving 
the  Zulus  from  the  hollow  where  they  were  sheltered 
back  to  the  Unodwingo  kraal.  This  movement  was  well 
supported  by  Shepstone  and  the  Basutos. 

The  Zulus  now  brought  up  a  strong  reinforcement 
from  the  right,  so  as  to  assist  those  engaged  with  the 
cavalry.  Buller's  men  fought  in  the  Dutch  fashion,  in 
two  ranks;  the  first  mounted  and  ready  to  dash  in  a 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  117 

moment  upon  any  weak  point  in  the  enemy's  line,  the 
second  on  foot,  using  their  saddles  as  a  rest  for  their 
rifles.  As  soon  as  the  front  rank  became  too  hardly 
pressed,  they  cantered  to  the  rear  and  dismounted  and 
opened  fire,  while  the  second  rank  mounted  in  readiness 
to  charge.  Gradually  Buller  and  Shepstone  fell  back; 
the  Zulu  column  pressing  upon  them  until  well  within 
reach  of  the  Gatlings  and  Martinis.  The  cavalry  then 
took  refuge  in  the  square,  and  over  the  ridges  of  the 
front  and  left  the  Zulu  column  with  loud  shouts  swept 
-down  upon  the  square.  The  British  infantry  now  opened 
fire.  Gatlings  and  rifles  poured  in  their  deadly  hail  of 
fire,  while  the  guns  swept  the  Zulu  ranks  with  shrapnel 
and  grape.  Terrible  as  the  fire  was,  the  Zulus  pressed 
bravely  forward,  filling  up  the  gaps  made  in  their  ranks, 
their  wild  war-cry  rising  even  above  the  roll  of  the  rifle- 
fire.  The  fiercest  attack  came  from  the  Unodwingo 
kraal.  Forming  under  cover  of  the  kraal,  a  large  body, 
led  by  a  chief  on  a  white  horse,  and  formed  in  a  hollow 
square,  dashed  at  the  right  rear  angle  of  the  British 
formation.  Tremendous  as  the  fire  was,  they  pressed 
forward  until  it  seemed  as  if  they  would  come  to  close 
quarters  with  the  column;  but,  brave  as  the  Zulus  were, 
it  was  impossible  to  withstand  the  fire  which  the  Twenty- 
first,  Ninety-fourth,  Fifty-eighth,  and  Royal  Engineers 
poured  into  them.  The  square  was  broken  up,  and  after 
a  moment's  pause  the  Zulus  turned  and  sought  shelter 
from  the  leaden  hail. 

While  the  fight  was  raging  here  another  Zulu  column 
had  attacked  the  front;  but  here  the  assault  was  speedily 
repulsed,  the  cool  and  steady  fire  of  the  Eightieth  having 
so  deadly  an  effect  that  the  Zulus  never  attempted  to 
make  a  rush  upon  them.  It  was  now  a  quarter  to  ten — 
but  a  quarter  of  an  hour  from  the  firing  of  the  first  shot, 
but  the  combat  was  virtually  at  an  end.     The  Zulus, 


118  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

astounded  at  the  storm  of  fire  by  which  they  had  been 
received,  were  everywhere  wavering;  Lord  Chelmsford 
gave  the  order,  and  the  two  squadrons  of  lancers  burst 
frdm  the  square,  greeted  with  a  loud  cheer  from  'the 
infantry,  and  with  their  pennons  fluttering  in  the  breeze, 
and  their  long  lances  in  rest  they  dashed  upon  the  flying 
Zulus,  and  drove  them  headlong  into  a  little  ravine. 
But  flanking  this,  and  hidden  by  the  long  grass,  half  a 
Zulu  regiment  had  been  posted  to  cover  the  retreat,  and 
as  the  squadrons  of  lancers  came  on  a  volley  was  poured 
in,  which  emptied  several  saddles  and  killed  Lieutenant 
Wyatt-Edgell,  who  was  leading  his  men.  In  another 
"moment  the  line  of  lancers  dashed  down  upon  the  Zulu 
ranks,  and  before  the  level  line  of  lances  the  enemy  went 
down  like  grass.  Shattered  and  broken  in  an  instant, 
the  Zulus  fought  in  stubborn  knots,  stabbing  at  the 
horses,  throwing  themselves  on  the  men,  and  trying  to 
dismount  them. 

In  a  melee  like  this  the  lance  was  useless,  and  the 
troopers  drew  their  swords  and  fought  hand  to  hand  with 
the  foe;  and  now  a  troop  of  the  king's  Dragoon-Guards 
and  Buller's  horse  took  up  the  charge,  and  the  flying 
Zulus  were  cut  down  in  scores  before  they  could  gain  the 
crest  of  the  hill.  The  Zulus  here  fought  with  far  less 
determination  than  they  had  exhibited  at  Kambula. 
There  for  four  hours  they  had  striven  in  vain  to  carry 
General  "Wood's  strongly  intrenched  position;  here  they 
made  one  great  effort,  and  then  all  was  over.  Their 
force  was  estimated  at  twenty-three  thousand,  and  of 
these  they  lost  only  about  fifteen  hundred,  of  whom  at 
least  one-third  were  killed  in  the  retreat.  The  battle 
over,  the  remaining  kraals  were  burned. 

Most  unfortunately,  the  day  after  the  battle  of  Ulundi, 
the  news  of  the  arrival  of  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  reached 
the  front,  and  the  movements  of  the  army  were  paralyzed 


The  flying  Zulus  were  out  down  in  scores.  Colonists,  p.  113. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  119 

by  the  change  of  command.  Instead,  therefore,  of  a  vig- 
orous pursuit  of  the  enemy,  nothing  was  done,  and  the 
army  halted  until  the  new  commander-in-chief  should 
arrange  his  plans  of  action.  Lord  Chelmsford  at  once 
resigned  command  of  his  column,  and  left  for  England. 

The  two  boys  had  been  present  at  the  battle  of  Ulundi. 
They  had,  during  the  weary  weeks  which  preceded  the 
advance,  made  the  acquaintance  of  most  of  the  officers 
of  the  cavalry,  and  Colonel  Lowe  had  repeated  the  per- 
mission given  them  by  General  Marshall.  They  had 
therefore,  when  on  the  morning  of  the  fight  the  column 
marched  out,  attached  themselves  to  Shepstone's 
mounted  Basutos,  and  had  fought  in  the  ranks  of  that 
corps  during  the  cavalry  action  which  preceded  the 
attack  on  the  square. 

After  the  action  was  over  great  quantities  of  cattle 
and  corn  fell  into  the  han^s  01  the  0*oops,  and  so  large  a 
transport-train  was  no  longer  necessary.  Orders  were 
therefore  issuea  V?**-  a  certain  number  of  the  wagons 
could  take  tHr  discharge  from  the  service,  and  the  lads 
at  once  applied  to  be  placed  on  the  list  of  those  whose 
services  could  be  dispensed  with. 

Two  days  later  they  started  for  the  rear  with  a  convoy 
of  sick  and  wounded,  and  in  due  time,  without  further 
adventure,  arrived  home,  to  the  great  delight  of  their 
parents. 

The  victory  of  Ulundi  virtually  put  an  end  to  the  war; 
a  great  portion  of  the  troops  were  sent  home;  the  Zulu 
chiefs  came  in  and  surrendered  with  their  followers, 
almost  to  a  man.  Cetewayo  succeeded  in  concealing 
himself  for  some  time,  but  after  a  long  chase  he  was 
captured  by  Major  Marter  and  Lord  Gifford,  and  was 
sent  a  prisoner  to  the  Cape* 


120  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 


CHAPTER  X 

A  TRADING  EXPEDITION. 

After  dividing  Zululand  into  districts  and  appointing 
a  chief  to  rule  over  each,  General  Wolseley  marched  his 
lorce  against  Secoceni,  the  chief  whose  hostile  attitude 
had  caused  the  Boers  to  accept  the  protectorate  of  Eng- 
land. This  chief  had  maintained  his  defiant  attitude, 
and,  relying  upon  the  strength  of  his  hill  stronghold,  had 
kept  up  an  irregular  war  upon  them,  aided  by  the  Swazis 
who  came  down  from  the  north  to  assist  him. 

Sir  Garnet  Wolseley  attacked  Secoceni's  mountain. 
His  men  fought  bravely,  but  were  altogether  unable  to 
uesist  the  attack  of  the  English.  The  place  was  carried, 
his  warriors  killed  or  dispersed,  and  his  power  altogether 
broken.  As  the  lads  were  not  present  at  this  affair- 
being  well  content  to  stay  for  awhile  and  assist  their 
fathers  on  the  farm — it  is  not  necessary  to  enter  into 
further  details  of  it. 

A  few  months  later  three  teams  of  wagons  drove  up  to 
the  farm.  It  was  late,  in  the  evening,  and  their  owner, 
who  had  met  Mr.  Humphreys  several  times  at  Newcastle, 
knocked  at  the  door. 

"I  have  made  a  long  march, "  he  said,  "to-day,  and 
the  oxen  are  knocked  up;  so  if  you  will  take  me  in  I 
will  halt  here  for  the  night  instead  of  going  on.  The 
roads  have  proved  heavier  than  I  had  expected,  and  I 
have  done  a  very  long  day's  journey." 

Mr.  Humphreys  at  once  invited  the  speaker  to  enter. 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  121 

Mr.  Harvey  was  a  trader,  one  of  those  who  are  in  the 
habit  of  taking  long  expeditions  far  into  the  interior,, 
with  his  wagons  laden  with  cotton,  beads,  tower-muskets,, 
powder,  lead,  and  toys  prized  by  the  natives,  returning 
laden  with  ivory,  ostrich  feathers,  and  skins.  He  was 
now  about  to  start  upon  such  a  journey,  having  stocked 
his  wagons  at  Durban. 

After  supper  was  over  the  trader  told  many  stories  of 
his  adventures  among  the  natives,  and  the  profits  which 
were  gained  by  such  journeys. 

"Generally,"  he  said,  "I  go  with  six  wagons,  but  I 
was  very  unlucky  last  time;  the  tzetze  fly  attacked  my 
animals,  most  of  which  died,  and  the  natives  took  ad- 
vantage of  my  position  to  make  an  attack  upon  me.  I 
beat  them  off,  but  was  finally  obliged  to  pack  all  my  most 
valuable  goods  in  one  wagon,  to  make  my  way  back  with 
it,  and  abandon  everything  else  to  the  natives.  Now,, 
Humphreys,  why  don't  you  join  me?  You  have  got  a 
wagon,  and  you  can  buy  stores  at  Newcastle,  not  of 
course  as  cheap  as  at  the  seaside,  but  still  cheap  enough 
to  leave  a  large  marginal  profit  on  the  trip." 

"I  cannot  leave  the  farm,"  Mr.  Humphreys  said. 

"Nor  can  his  wife  spare  him,  Mr.  Harvey,"  Mrs, 
Humphreys  put  in. 

"Well,  why  don't  you  send  your  son,  here,,,  with  the 
wagon?"  Mr.  Harvey  asked.  "The  man  who  generally 
travels  with  me  as  partner  broke  his  leg  the  other  day, 
down  at  Durban,  and  I  should  be  very  glad  of  one  or  two 
white  companions.  Two  or  three  white  men  together 
can  do  anything  with  the  natives,  but  if  there  is  only  one, 
and  he  happens  to  knock  up,  it  goes  very  hard  with  him.'* 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  Mr.  Humphreys  said,  as  Dick 
looked  eagerly  toward  him;  "it  is  a  sort  of  thing  that 
wants  thinking  over." 


122  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"Oh!  father,"  Dick  exclaimed  excitedly,  "it  would  be 
&  glorious  trip,  especially  if  Tom  Jackson  would  go  too. 
Iu  heard  Mr.  Jackson  only  yesterday  say  that  his  draft- 
oxen  are  eating  their  heads  off,  and  that  he  must  put 
them  on  the  roadto  do  some  freighting.  You  see,  if  Mr. 
Jackson  did  not  care  about  going  in  for  the  trading  him- 
self— and  I  know,  from  what  he  said  the  other  day  that 
his  money  is  all  employed  on  the  farm — you  might  hire 
his  wagon  for  the  trip.     In  fact  that  and  your  own \* 

"That  sounds  easy  and  satisfactory  enough,  Dick/' 
Mr.  Humphreys  said,  laughing;  "but  one  does  not  jump 
into  these  things  in  a  moment.  There,  you  go  off  to 
bed,  and  I  will  talk  the  matter  further  over  with  Mr. 
Harvey." 

Dick  went  to  bed  in  high  glee.  When  his  father  once 
said  that  he  would  talk  a  thing  over,  Dick  felt  that  the 
-chances  were  very  strong  that  he  would  give  in  to  his 
wishes.  Mr.  Humphreys  was  less  influenced  by  the  idea 
of  making  a  good  trading  speculation  than  by  the  con- 
sideration that  a  journey  of  this  kind  would  not  only  give 
great  pleasure  to  his  son,  but  would  be  of  real  benefit  to 
him.  It  was  Mr.  Humphreys'  opinion  that  it  is  good  for 
a  lad  to  be  placed  in  positions  where  he  learns  self- 
Teliance,  readiness,  and  promptness  of  action.  For  him- 
self his  farm-work  occupied  all  his  thoughts,  and  he 
needed  no  distraction;  o?t  for  a  lad  change  is  necessary. 
Had  Dick  had — as  would  i.  <we  been  the  case  at  home — a 
number  of  schoolfellows  and  companions  of  the  same 
age,  he  would  have  joined  in  their  games  and  amuse- 
ments, and  no  other  change  would  have  been  necessary, 
or  indeed  desirable;  but  in  the  farm  in  Natal  it  was  alto- 
gether different.  The  work  of  looking  after  a  number  of 
Kaffirs  planting  and  watering  trees  was  monotonous,  and 
unbroken,  as  it  generally  was,  by  the  sight  of  a  strange 
face  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  week,  it  was 
likely  to  become  irksome  to  a  boy. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  123- 

Occasionally  indeed  Dick  and  Tom  Jackson  would 
meet  and  go  out  on  a  shooting  expedition  together;  but 
Tom  could  seldom  be  spared,  as  his  father,  being  shorter- 
handed  than  Mr.  Humphreys,  found  him  of  considerable 
use. 

Soon  after  daylight  Dick  was  aroused  by  his  father. 

"Jump  up  at  once,  Dick;  I  want  you  to  ride  over  with 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Jackson.  We  have  pretty  well  settled 
that  you  shall  go  with  Mr.  Harvey,  and  I  am  writing  to- 
make  an  offer  to  Mr.  Jackson  for  the  use  of  his  wagon: 
for  six  months." 

Dick  gave  a  shout  of  delight,  and  in  a  very  short  time' 
had  dressed  himself,  and,  having  saddled  his  horse,  was: 
dashing  at  full  speed  across  the  veldt.  Early  as  the  hour 
was  when  he  arrived,  Mr.  Jackson  was  already  out  in  his- 
fields.  Dick  soon  found  him,  and  handed  him  the  letter,, 
and  while  he  was  reading  it  explained  in  low,  excited 
words  to  Tom  the  mission  on  which  he  had  come. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  Mr.  Jackson  said,  when  he  had; 
finished  the  letter;  "your  father  makes  me  a  very  liberal 
offer,  Dick,  for  my  wagon  and  team  for  six  months,  on. 
the  condition  that  I  allow  Tom  to  accompany  them,  and 
he  points  out  that  in  his  opinion  a  journey  of  this  kind 
will  be  likely  to  develop  the  boy's  character  and  teach, 
him  many  things  that  may  some  day  be  of  use  to  him. 
It  comes  upon  me  suddenly,  and  it  seems  he  wants  the- 
wagon  and  team  to  be  at  Newcastle  this  evening,  ready 
for  a  start  in  the  morning.  He  himself  is  going  to  ride 
over  there  to  purchase  goods  to  freight  it  directly  he 
receives  my  reply.  I  must  go  in  and  consult  with 
mother  before  I  come  to  any  decided  conclusion." 

So  saying  he  strode  off  toward  the  house. 

Dick,  leading  his  pony,  walked  after,  by  the  side  of 
Tom,  to  whom  he  explained  all  he  knew  of  the  character 
of  the  proposed  journey. 


124  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"Mr.  Harvey  says,  Tom,  that  of  course  lie  goes  to 
trade,  but  that  at  the  same  time  he  does  a  lot  of  shoot- 
ping,  both  for  the  sake  of  the  skins  and  for  the  meat  for 
the  men.  He  says  that  he  often  meets  with  lions,  hip- 
popotami, and  sometimes  elephants — sometimes  they 
meet  with  hostile  natives." 

Altogether  the  expedition  promised  an  immense  vari- 
ety of  adventure.  The  boys  remained  chatting  outside 
the  house  until  Mr.  Jackson  came  to  the  door  and  called 
them  in. 

"So  you  are  not  contented  to  stop  at  home,  Dick," 
Mrs.  Jackson  said,  "and  you  want  to  take  Tom  rambling 
away  with  you  again?  Of  course  I  cannot  say  no,  when 
my  husband  is  inclined  to  let  him  go,  but  I  shall  be  ter- 
ribly anxious  until  he  is  back  again." 

"I  won't  let  him  get  into  any  scrapes,  Mrs.  Jackson," 
Dick  said  confidently. 

"I  have  no  faith  whatever,"  Mrs.  Jackson  said,  smil- 
ing, "in  your  keeping  him  out  of  scrapes,  but  I  do'  think 
it  possible  that  you  may  get  him  out  of  them  after  he  is 
once  in  them.  Do  be  careful,  my  boys,  for  the  sakes  of 
your  fathers  and  mothers!  I  know  Mr.  Harvey  has  been 
making  these  journeys  for  a  good  many  years  and  has 
always  got  back  safely,  and  I  have  great  faith  in  his  ex- 
perience and  knowledge — but  there,  Dick,  I  must  not 
keep  you.  Here  is  my  husband  with  an  answer  to  your 
father's  letter,  and  as  you  will  have  lots  to  do,  and  your 
father  will  be  waiting  for  this  letter  before  he  starts  for 
Newcastle,  you  had  better  ride  off  at  once.  Good-by,  my 
boy,  for  I  shan't  see  you  again  before  you  stark  I  trust 
that  you  will  come  back  safe  and  well." 

Two  minutes  later  Dick  was  again  galloping  across  the 
country,  arriving  home  in  time  for  breakfast. 

Mrs.  Humphreys  was  in  better  spirits  than  Dick  had 
feared  he  should  find  her;  but  her  health  had  improved 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  125 

immensely  since  her  arrival  in  the  colony,  and  she  was 
more  active  and  energetic  than  Dick  ever  remembered 
her  to  have  been.  She  was  able  therefore  to  take  a  far 
more  cheerful  view  of  the  proposed  expedition  than  she 
could  have  done  the  year  before,  and  her  husband  had 
had  comparatively  little  difficulty  in  obtaining  her  con- 
sent to  Dick's  accompanying  Mr.  Harvey. 

"Your  father  thinks  that  it  will  be  for  your  good,  my 
boy,"  she  said,  "and  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  will  enjoy 
yourself  greatly — but  be  sure  to  be  careful,  and  don't  let 
your  high  spirits  get  you  into  scrapes — remember  how 
valuable  your  life  is  to  us!" 

"While  you  are  away,  Dick,"  his  father  said,  "you  will 
remember  that  you  are  absolutely  under  Mr.  Harvey's 
orders.  As  the  head  of  the  expedition  he  stands  in  the 
position  of  the  master,  and  he  must  receive  ready  and 
explicit  obedience  from  all.  He  is  not  a  man  unneces- 
sarily to  curb  or  check  you,  and  you-  may  be  sure  that  he 
will  not  restrain  you  unless  for  the  good  of  the  expedi- 
tion. You  must  beware  how  far  you  stray  from  the 
caravan;  the  country  you  are  going  to  is  very  different 
from  this.  Here,  go  where  you  will,  you  are  sure  in  a 
short  time  to  come  upon  some  farmhouse,  where  you  may 
get  directions  as  to  your  way.  There,  once  lost,  it  is 
upon  yourself  alone  you  must  depend  to  recover  the  track. 
The  beasts  of  prey  are  formidable  opponents,  and  a  lion 
or  an  elephant  wounded,  but  not  killed,  could  rend  you 
into  pieces  in  a  moment;  therefore  you  must  be  prudent 
as  well  as  brave,  obedient  as  well  as  enterprising.  You 
have  already  shown  that  you  have  plenty  of  presence  of 
mind,  as  well  as  of  courage,  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  tea 
the  former  quality  is  even  the  more  necessary  in  a  coun- 
try such  as  that  you  are  now  going  to.  Courage  will  not 
avail  you  when  a  wounded  leopard  is  charging  dovvn 
upon  you  and  your  rifle  is  already  discharged,  but  pres- 


126  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

«nce  of  mind  may  point  out  some  means  of  escape  from 
the  danger.  And  now,  if  you  have  finished  breakfast, 
you  had  better  ride  over  with  me  to  Newcastle — I  have  a 
very  large  number  of  goods  to  buy.  Mr.  Harvey,  who 
-went  on  the  first  thing,  will  meet  me  there  and  show  me 
the  kind  of  goods  most  likely  to  take  with  the  natives;  it 
-will  be  well  that  you  should  not  only  know  the  price  o| 
■each  article,  but  that  you  should  see  everything  packed, 
so  as  to  know  the  contents  of  each  bale  by  its  shape  and 
markings — a  matter  which  may  save  you  much  trouble 
when  you  begin  to  trade." 

The  shopping  did  not  take  up  so  long  a  time  as  Mr. 
Humphreys  had  anticipated;  the  large  storekeepers  all 
kept  precisely  the  kind  of  goods  required,  as  they  were  in 
the  habit  of  selling  to  the  Boers  for  barter  with  the 
natives. 

In  the  afternoon  the  wagon  was  sent  away,  and  an 
lour  before  daybreak  next  morning  Dick,  having  bade 
farewell  to  his  mother,  started  with  Mr.  Humphreys. 

Tom  and  Mr.  Jackson  arrived  there  a  few  minutes 
later,  and  the  work  of  loading  the  wagons  at  once  com- 
menced, and  was  concluded  by  nine  o'clock;  then  they 
joined  the  wagons  of  Mr.  Harvey,  which  were  already 
waiting  outside  the  town. 

Their  fathers  rode  with  them  to  the  ford  across  the 
river,  and  then  after  a  hearty  farewell  returned  to  their 
farms,  while  the  caravan  of  five  wagons  crossed  into  the 
Transvaal. 

Each  wagon  was  drawn  by  sixteen  oxen,  with  a  native 
driver  and  leader  to  each.  There  were  three  Swazis  who  ' 
had  accompanied  Mr.  Harvey  on  previous  expeditions,  all 
.good  hunters  and  men  who  could  be  relied  upon  in  every 
■emergency.  The  eldest  of  these  natives  was  a  very  tall 
;and  muscular  man,  of  some  forty-five  years  of  age;  the 
left  side  of  his  face,  his  shoulder,  and  side  were  deeply 


TEE  TOTING  COLONISTS.  VII 

seamed  with  scars,  the  relies  of  a  fight  with  a  wounded 
lioness.  He  had  a  very  long  and  difficult  name,  which 
had  been  Anglicized  and  shortened  by  Mr.  Harvey  into 
"Jack." 

The  second  of  the  trio  was  a  man  so  short  as  to  be 
almost  deformed,  a  very  unusual  circumstance  among 
the  natives.  His  head  was  set  low  between  his  shoul- 
ders, and  his  long  sinewy  arms  reached  almost  to  his 
ankles.  Mr.  Harvey  told  the  lads  he  was  immensely 
strong,  and  the  expression  of  his  face  was  quick  and  in- 
telligent. He  was  about  twenty-four  years  of  age;  he 
had  been  found  by  Mr.  Harvey's  father,  who  had  also 
been  a  trader,  deserted  and  apparently  dying,  a  baby  of 
only  a  few  months  old.  Among  savage  people  infants 
who  are  in  any  way  deformed  are  generally  deserted  and 
left  to  perish,  and  this  was  the  fate  evidently  intended  for 
the  child  when  the  mother  became  convinced  he  would  not 
grow  up  tall  and  straight,  like  other  men.  Mr.  Harvey 
had  picked  it  up,  fed  and  cared  for  it,  and  it  grew  up 
full  of  a  passionate  attachment  for  him,  following  him 
everywhere,  and  ready  at  any  moment  to  give  his  life  for 
him.  He  was  called  Tony,  and  spoke  English  as  fluently 
as  the  native  language. 

The  third  of  the  hunters  was  a  tall,  slight  figure,  a 
man  of  about  thirty-five,  with  muscles  like  whipcord, 
who  could,  if  it  were  needed,  go  for  one  hundred  miles 
without  a  halt,  and  tire  out  the  swiftest  horse.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  were  ten  natives,  who  assisted  with  the 
cattle,  pitched  the  tent,  cooked  and  skinned  the  game, 
and  did  other  odd  jobs. 

The  road  was  fairly  good,  and  two  days  after  leaving 
Newcastle  they  arrived  at  Standerton,  a  rising  place,  in- 
habited principally  by  English  traders  and  shopkeepers. 
Here  three  roads  branched:  the  one  led  to  Utrecht  on 
<die  east;  another  to  Pretoria,  the  capital,  to  the  north- 


123  THE  TOTING  COLONISTS. 

west;  while  the  third,  a  track  much  less  used  than  the* 
others,  led  due  north.  This  was  the  one  followed  by  the 
caravan. 

As  they  proceeded  the  Dutch  farmhouses  became 
more  sparsely  sprinkled  over  the  country,  and  several 
large  native  kraals  were  passed.  Over  the  wide  plaina 
large  herds  of  deer  roamed  almost  unmolested,  and  the 
lads  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  the  caravan  well  sup- 
plied with  provisions.  One  or  two  of  the  Kaffirs  gener- 
ally accompanied  them,  to  carry  in  the  game;  but  Mr. 
Harvey  and  the  three  hunters,  accustomed  to  more  excit- 
ing sport,  kept  along  with  the  caravan,  the  former  well 
content  that  the  lads  should  amuse  themselves  with 
furnishing  food  for  the  party. 

At  Newcastle  Mr.  Humphreys  had  purchased  a  couple 
of  small  pocket-compasses,  one  for  each  of  the  boys,  and 
the  possession  of  these  gave  them  great  confidence,  as, 
with  their  guidance,  they  were  always  enabled  to  strike 
the  trail  of  the  caravan. 

The  road  had  now  altogether  ceased,  and  they  wera 
traveling  across  a  bare,  undulating  country,  dotted  occa- 
sionally by  herds  and  flocks  of  Dutch  settlers,  and  by  the 
herds  of  wandering  deer,  but  unbroken  by  a  tree  of  any 
size,  and  for  the  most  part  covered  with  tall  grass.  The 
deer  met  with  were  for  the  most  part  antelopes  of  one  or 
«ther  of  three  kinds,  all  of  which  abounded  on  the 
higher  plains.  These  are  known  as  the  "wilde-beest," 
the  "bless-buck,"  and  the  "spring-buck." 

The  venison  which  these  creatures  afforded  was  occa- 
sionally varied  by  the  flesh  of  the  "stump-pig,"  which 
abounded  in  considerable  numbers,  and,  as  they  ran  at  a 
great  speed,  afforded  the  boys  many  a  good  chase. 

Generally  the  caravan  halted  for  the  night — while  they 
were  still  in  a  country  occupied  here  and  there  by  Boers 
—near  one  of  the  farmhouses.     It  was  not  that  these 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  129 

habitations  added  to  the  pleasure  of  the  halting-place, 
for  the  Boers  were  generally  gruff  and  surly,  and  their 
dogs  annoyed  them  by  their  constant  barking  and  growl- 
ing, but  for  the  most  part  it  was  only  at  these  farm- 
houses  that  water  could  be  obtained.  A  small  sum  was 
generally  charged  by  the  Boers  for  the  privilege  of  water- 
ing the  oxen  of  each  wagon. 

It  would  seem  a  churlish  action  to  charge  for  water, 
but  this  fluid  is  very  scarce  upon  the  veldt.  There  are 
long  periods  of  drought,  of  which,  in  a  dry  season,  thou- 
sands of  cattle  perish;  it  is  therefore  only  natural  that- 
each  farmer  should  hoard  his  supply  jealously,  for  he 
cannot  tell  how  great  his  own  need  of  it  may  shortly  be. 
The  water  is  for  the  most  part  stored  in  artificial  ponds, 
made  by  damming  up  hollows  through  which  the  water 
runs  in  the  wet  season. 

Sometimes,  as  the  caravan  made  its  slow  way  along,  a 
young  Boer  would  dash  up  upon  his  horse,  and,  reining 
in,  ask  a  few  questions  as  to  their  route,  and  then  ride 
off  again.  Already  the  boys  had  admired  the  figures  and 
riding  of  the  Boers  whom  they  had  seen  in  action  in 
Zululand,  but  they  ware  much  more  struck  by  their  ap- 
pearance as  they  saw  them  now.  There  are  no  finer  mc/i 
in  the  world  than  the  young  Boers  of  the  Transvaal;  in 
after-life  they  often  become  heavy,  but  as  young  men 
their  figures  are  perfect.  Very  tall  and  powerfully  built, 
they  sit  their  horses  as  if  man  and  animal  were  one,  and 
are  such  splendid  marksmen  that,  while  riding  at  full 
speed,  they  can  with  almost  absolute  certainty  bring 
down  an  antelope  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards. 

But  the  abodes  of  the  Boers,  and  their  manner  of  liv- 
ing, impressed  the  boys  far  less  favorably.  However 
extensive  the  possessions  and  numerous  the  herds  of  a 
Boer,  he  lives  in  the  same  primitive  style  as  his  poorest 


130  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

neighbor.  The  houses  seldom  contain  more  than  two,  or 
at  most  three,  rooms.  The  dress  of  the  farmer,  wife, 
and  family  is  no  better  than  that  of  laborers;  whole 
families  sleep  in  one  room;  books  are  almost  unknown  in 
their  houses,  and  they  are  ignorant  and  prejudiced  to  an 
extreme  degree.  Upon  his  horse  and  his  gun  the  Boer 
will  spend  money  freely,  but  for  all  other  purposes  he  is 
thrifty  and  close-fisted  in  the  extreme.  Water  is  re- 
garded as  useful  for  drinking  purposes,  but  its  utility 
for  matters  of  personal  cleanliness  is  generally  altogether 
ignored.  Almost  all  sleep  in  their  clothes,  and  a  shake 
and  a  stretch  suffice  for  the  morning  toilet. 

The  power  of  a  Boer  over  his  sons  and  daughters  is 
most  unlimited,  and  he  is  the  hardest  and  cruelest  of 
masters  to  the  unfortunate  natives  whom  he  keeps  in 
slavery  under  the  title  of  indentured  apprentices,  and 
whose  lives  he  regards  as  of  no  more  importance  than 
those  of  his  sheep,  and  as  of  infinitely  less  consequence 
than  those  of  his  horses  or  even  of  his  dogs.  To  the  un- 
happy natives  the  taking  over  of  the  Transvaal  by  England 
had  been  a  blessing  of  the  highest  kind.  Eor  the  first 
time  the  shooting  of  them  in  cold  blood  had  come  to 
be  considered  a  crime,  and  ordinances  had  been  issued 
against  slavery,  which,  although  generally  evaded  by  the 
Boers,  still  promised  a  happy  state  of  things  in  the 
future. 

At  the  native  kraals  the  travelers  were  always  wel- 
comed when  it  was  known  that  they  were  English.  The 
natives  looked  to  Queen  Victoria  as  a  sort  of  guardian 
angel,  and  not  a  thought  entered  their  heads  that  they 
would  ere  long  be  cruelly  and  basely  abandoned  to  the 
mercies  of  the  Dutch  by  the  government  of  England. 

Slowly  and  without  incident  the  caravan  made  its  way 
north,  and  at  last  encamped  upon  the  Joanks  of  the  great 
river  Limpopo,  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Transvaal. 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  131 

This  river  was  too  wide  and  deep  to  be  forded,  but  at  the 
spot  where  they  had  struck  it  there  was  a  large  native 
kraal.  Here  Mr.  Harvey,  who  had  many  times  before 
followed  the  same  route  to  this  spot,  was  warmly  wel- 
comed and  preparations  were  made  for  effecting  a  cross- 
ing. The  oxen  were  first  takeu  across;  these  were 
steered  by  ropes  attached  to  their  horns  and  fastened  to 
a  canoe,  which  paddled  ahead  of  them.  The  beasts  were 
delighted  to  enter  the  water  after  their  long  dusty  jour- 
ney, and  most  of  them,  after  reaching  the  opposite  bank, 
lay  down  for  a  long  time  in  the  shallow  water  at  the 
edge.  Most  of  the  stores  were  carried  across  in  canoes. 
Inflated  skins  were  then  fastened  to  the  wagons,  and 
these  also  were  towed  across  the  stream  by  canoes.  The 
passage  had  commenced  at  early  morning,  and  by  night- 
fall the  whole  of  the  caravan  and  its  contents  were  safely 
across  the  stream. 

"We  are  now,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "in  the  Matabele 
country;  the  natives  are  for  the  most  part  friendly,  as 
they  know  the  advantage  they  derive  from  the  coming  of 
English  traders,  but  there  are  portions  of  the  tribe  alto- 
gether hostile  to  us,  and  the  greatest  caution  and  care 
have  to  be  exercised  in  passing  through  some  portions  of 
the  country.  To  the  east  lies  a  land  said  to  be  very  rich 
in  gold,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  it  is  so,  for  we 
frequently  find  natives  who  have  traded  with  that  coun- 
try in  possession  of  gold-dust,  but  they  allow  no  white 
men  to  pass  their  frontier  on  any  pretext  whatever. 
They  have  become  aware  in  some  way  how  great  is  the 
value  of  gold  in  the  eyes  of  Europeans,  and  fear  that  if 
the  wealth  of  the  country  in  that  metal  were  but  known 
a  vast  emigration  of  Europeans  would  take  place,  which 
would  assuredly  sooner  or  later  end  in  the  driving  out  or 
extirpation  of  the  present  inhabitants  of  the  land." 

The  news  which  they  had  learned  at  the  village  where 


133  THE  fOUNQ  COLONISTS. 

th8y  had  crossed,  of  the  state  of  affairs  among  the  tribes 
of  the  north,  was  not  encouraging.  The  natives  said 
■"that  there  had  been  much  fighting.  Not  only  had  erup- 
tions taken  place  with  tribes  still  further  north,  but  the 
Matabele  had  also  been  quarreling  among  themselves. 

"This  is  bad  news  indeed,"  Mr.  Harvey  said;  "these 
tribal  wars  make  journeying  very  difficult;  for,  although 
none  of  the  tribes  may  be  hostile  to  Europeans  at  ordinary 
times,  they  view  them  with  distrust  when  coming  from  a 
tribe  with  whom  they  are  at  war.  In  peace-time,  too, 
when  each  section  of  the  tribe  is  under  some  sort  of  con- 
trol by  the  head  chief,  each  will  hesitate  to  rob  or  attack 
an  European  caravan,  because  the  whole  would  consider 
themselves  aggrieved  and  injured  by  such  a  proceeding. 
In  war-time,  on  the  other  hand,  each  thinks,  'If  we  do 
not  rob  this  rich  caravan  some  one  else  is  sure  to  do  so; 
we  may  as  well  have  the  plunder  as  another.'  War  is 
injurious  to  us  in  other  ways;  instead  of  the  tribes  spend- 
ing their  time  in  hunting,  they  remain  at  home  to  guard 
their  villages  and  women,  and  we  shall  find  but  little 
ivory  and  few  ostrich  feathers  gathered  to  trade  for  our 
goods.  I  had  not  intended  to  have  incumbered  myself 
with  a  larger  following,  but  I  think,  after  what  I  have 
heard,  it  will  be  wise  to  strengthen  our  party  before 
going  further.  I  will  therefore  hire  twenty  men  from 
the  village  here  to  accompany  us;  they  will  be  useful  in 
huntings  and  will  cost  but  little;  their  wages  are  nomi- 
nal, and  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  providing  them 
with  food  with  our  rifles.  In  one  respect  they  are  more 
useful  than  men  hired  from  time  to  time  from  among 
the  people  further  north  for  the  purpose  of  driving 
game,  for,  as  you  see,  many  of  them  carry  guns,  while 
beyond  the  river  they  are  armed  only  with  bows  and 
arrows." 

'"I  am  surprised  to  see  so  many  guns,"  Dick  said; 


r  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  13J 

"where  could  these  people  have  got  the  money  to  buy 
them?" 

"It  is  the  result  of  a  very  bad  system/'  Mr.  Harvey 
replied.  "The  Cape  authorities,  in  spite  of  all  the  rep- 
resentations which  have  been  made  to  them,  of  the 
extreme  danger  of  allowing  the  natives  to  possess  fire- 
arms, allow  their  importation  and  sale  to  them,  simply 
on  account  of  the  revenue  which  they  derive  from  it,  as 
a  duty  of  a  pound  is  charged  on  each  gun  imported  into 
the  colony.  From  all  parts  of  South  Africa  the  natives, 
Pondos,  Basutos,  Zulus,  and  other  Kaffirs,  goto  the  dia^ 
mond-fields  and  work  there  for  months;  when  their 
Earnings  suffice  to  enable  them  to  buy  a  gun,  a  stock  of 
ammunition,  and  a  blanket,  they  return  to  their  homes. 
All  these  fellows  you  see  carrying  guns  have  served  their 
six  or  eight  months  in  the  diamond-mines;  a  dozen  of 
them  would  be  a  strong  reinforcement  to  our  fighting 
power,  in  case  of  an  attack." 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  engaging  the  required  num- 
ber of  men.  Each  was  to  be  paid  on  the  conclusion  of 
the  journey  with  a  certain  quantity  of  powder  and  lead, 
a  few  yards  of  cotton,  some  beads  and  other  cheap 
trinkets,  and  was  to  be  fed  on  the  journey.  Thus  rein- 
forced the  caravan  proceeded  on  its  way. 


13ft  THE  YOuNQ  COLONISTS 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  TEOOP  OF  LIONS. 

The  country  across  which  the  wagons  now  made  their 
way  differed  somewhat  from  that  over  which  they  had 
previously  passed;  it  was  not  so  undulating,  and  the 
herbage  was  shorter  and  more  scanty;  the  soil  was  for 
the  most  part  sandy;  trees  were  much  more  abundant, 
and  sometimes  there  were  thick  growths  of  jungle. 
Even  before  leaving  the  Transvaal  they  had  at  night 
often  heard  the  roar  of  lions,  but  these  had  not  ap- 
proached the  camp. 

"We  must  look  out  for  lions  to-night,"  Mr.  Harvey 
said,  when  the  caravan  encamped  near  a  large  pool  which 
in  the  wet  season  formed  part  of  a.river,  and  was  now  for 
the  most  part  dry.  "We  must  laager  our  wagons,  and 
get  as  many  cattle  inside  as  we  can,  and  must  keep  the 
rest  close  together,  with  fires  in  readiness  to  light  in  case 
of  an  attack." 

"But  surely  the  lions  would  never  venture  to  attack 
so  large  a  party?"  Dick  said  in  surprise. 

"They  will  indeed,"  Mr.  Harvey  answered.  "These 
brutes  often  hunt  together,  as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty; 
they  are  nothing  like  such  powerful  beasts  as  the  North 
African  lions,  but  they  are  formidable  enongh,  and  the 
less  we  see  of  them  the  better.  But  there  are  numerous 
prints  on  the  sand  near  the  water,  and  probably  large 
numbers  of  them  are  in  the  habit  of  coming  to  this  pool 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  13? 

to  drink.  I  expect  therefore  that  we  shall  have  a  stir- 
ring night." 

As  soon  as  the  oxen  were  unyoked  they  were  driven  a 
short  distance  out  to  pasture.  Five  or  six  of  the  natives 
looked  after  them,  while  the  remainder  set  to  work  to 
gather  sticks  and  dried  wood  for  the  fires. 

"I  think,"  Tom  said,  "that  I  will  go  and  have  a  bathe 
in  the  pool." 

"You  will  do  no  such  thing,"  Mr.  Harvey  remarked; 
"the  chances  are  that  there  are  half  a  dozen  alligators  in 
that  pool — it  is  just  the  sort  of  place  in  which  they  lurk, 
for  they  find  no  difficulty  in  occasionally  taking  a  deer  or 
a  wild  hog,  as  he  comes  down  to  quench  his  thirst. 
There!  don't  you  see  something  projecting  above  the 
water  on  the  other  side  of  the  pool?" 

"I  see  a  bit  of  rough  wood,  that  looks  as  if  it  were  the 
top  of  a  log  underneath  the  water." 

"Well,  just  watch  it,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  as  he  took 
aim  with  his  rifle. 

He  fired;  the  water  instantly  heaved  and  whirled  at 
the  spot  the  boy  was  watching;  the  supposed  log  rose 
higher  out  of  the  water,  and  then  plunged  down  again; 
five  or  six  feet  of  a  long  tail  lashed  the  water  and  then 
disappeared,  but  the  eddies  on  the  surface  showed  that 
there  was  a  violent  agitation  going  on  underneath  it. 

"What  do  you  think  of  your  log  now?"  Mr.  Harvey 
asked,  smiling. 

"Why,  it  was  an  alligator,"  Tom  said.  "Who  would 
have  thought  it? — it  looked  just  like  a  bit  of  an  old 
tree." 

"What  you  saw,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "was  a  portion  of 
the  head;  the  alligator  often  lies  with  just  his  eyes  and 
nostrils  out  of  water." 

"Did  you  kill  it,  sir,  do  you  think?"  Dick  asked. 

"Oh!  no,"  Mr.  Harvey  replied;  "the  ball  would  glance 


136     -  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

off  his  head  as  it  would  from  the  side  of  an  ironclad 
ship.  It  woke  him  up,  and  flustrated  him  a  bit;  but  h» 
is  pone  the  worse  for  it.  So  you  see,  Tom,  that  pool  is 
hardly  fit  to  bathe  in." 

"No,  indeed,  sir,"  Tom  answered,  turning  a  little  pale 
at  the  thought  of  the  danger  which  he  had  proposed  to 
incur.  "I  would  rather  fight  half  a  dozen  lions  than  get 
into  the  water  with  those  brutes." 

"I  don't  know  about  half  a  dozen  lions,"  Mr.  Harvey 
said;  "although  certainly  one  lion  is  an  easier  foe  to 
\ickle  than  an  alligator.  But  one  can  never  be  too  care- 
ful about  bathing  in  this  country.  In  the  smallest  pools, 
only  a  few  yards  long  and  a  few  feet  wide,  an  alligator 
may  be  lurking,  especially  if  the  weather  is  dry  and  the 
pools  far  apart.  Even  when  only  drawing  water  at  such 
places  it  is  well  to  be  careful,  and  it  is  always  the  best 
plan  to  poke  the  bottom  for  a  short  distance  round  with 
a  pole  before  dipping  in  a  bucket.  Remember,  if  you 
should  ever  happen  to  be  seized  by  one  of  these  animals, 
there  is  but  one  chance,  and  that  is  to  turn  at  once  and 
stick  your  thumbs  into  his  eyes.  It  requires  nerve  when 
a  brute  has  got  you  by  the  leg,  but  it  is  your  only  chance, 
and  the  natives,  when  seized  by  alligators,  often  escape 
by  blinding  their  foes.  The  pain  and  sudden  loss  of 
sight  always  induces  them  to  loose  their  hold." 

"I  hope  I  shall  never  have  to  try,"  Tom  said,  shiver- 
ing. 

"It  is  safer  not,  certainly,"  Mr.  Harvey  agreed;  "but 
there,  I  see  dinner  is  ready,  and  Jumbo  has  got  a  bucket 
of  water,  so  you  can  douse  your  heads  and  wash  your 
hands  without  fear  of  alligators." 

At  nightfall  the  cattle  were  all  driven  in.  The  horses 
and  a  few  of  the  most  valuable  oxen  were  placed  in  the 
laager  formed  by  the  wagons;  the  rest  were  fastened  out- 
side to  them,  side  bs  side,  by  their  horns;  at  each  corned 


.THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  137 

the  natives  had  piled  up  a  great  heap  of  firewood.  An 
hour  after  sunset  the  roar  of  a  lion  was  heard  out  on  the 
plain ;  it  was  answered  simultaneously  in  six  or  eight 
directions,  and  the  stamping  of  the  oxen  announced  that 
the  animals  were  conscious  of  danger. 

"There  are  a  troop  of  them  about,"  Mr.  Harvey  said, 
"just  as  I  feared.  Put  a  little  more  wood  on  the  fires, 
boys ;  it  is  as  well  to  keep  them  burning  briskly,  but  it 
will  probably  be  some  hours  before  they  work  themselves 
up  to  make  an  attack  upon  us." 

As  the  time  went  on  the  roaring  became  louder  and 
more  continuous. 

"There  must  be  a  score  of  them  at  least,"  Mr.  Harvey 
said  ;  ' '  they  are  ranging  round  and  round  the  camp  ;  they 
don't  like  the  look  of  the  fires. " 

By  ten  o'clock  the  roaring  had  approached  so  closely 
that  Mr.  Harvey  thought  that  it  was  time  to  prepare  for 
the  defense ;  he  took  post  at  one  side  of  the  square,  and 
placed  the  boys  and  Jumbo  at  the  other  three ;  Tony  and 
the  other  hunter  were  to  keep  outside  the  cattle,  and 
walk  round  and  round.  The  armed  natives  were  scat- 
tered round  the  square.  The  drivers  and  cattle-men 
were  to  move  about  among  the  animals,  and  do  their  best 
to  pacify  them,  for  already  a  perfect  panic  had  seized 
upon  the  draft  -  cattle,  and  with  starting  eyes  and  coats 
ruffled  by  fear  they  were  tugging  and  straining  at  their 
ropes. 

"Quiet,  you  silly  beasts,"  Dick  said,  leaning  out  of 
the  wagon  in  which  he  had  taken  his  place;  "you  are 
safer  where  you  are  than  you  would  be  anywhere  else. 
If  you  got  away  and  bolted  out  into  the  plain,  as"  you 
want  to  do,  you  would  be  pulled  down  and  killed  in  no 
time." 

The  fires  were  now  blazing  brightly,  throwing  a  wide 
circle  of  light  round  the  camp  and  making  visible  every 
object  within  fifty  yards. 


138  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

\ 

;'  It  bad  basti  arranged  that  so  long  as  the  lions  kept  at  & 
'distance  and  only  approached  singly  the  defenders  of  the 
^arious  faces  of  the  square  should  retain  their  positions; 
but  that,  should  a  formidable  attack  be  made  upon  any 
one  ride,  the  white  men  with  two  of  the  natives  with 
them  snouiu  nasten  to  the  print  attacked. 

Several  times,  as  Dick  stood  m  the  wagon,  rifle  *n 
hand,  straining  his  eyes  at  the  darkness,  he  fancied  he 
saw  indistinct  shadowy  forms  moving  at  the  edge  of  the 
circle  of  light.  Two  or  three  times  he  raised  his  rifle  to 
take  aim,  but  the  object;:  v~3re  so  indistinct  that  he 
doubted  whether  his  fancy  had  not  deceived  him. 

Presently  the  crack  of  Mr.  Harvey's  rifle  was  heard? 
followed  by  a  roar  of  a  sharper  and  more  angry  nature 
than  those  which  had  preceded  it.  As  if  a  signal  had 
aeen  given-  three  or  four  creatures  came  with  great 
bounds  out  oi  the  darkness  toward  the  side  where  Dick 
was  posted.  Taking  a  steady  aim,  he  fired.  Tony,  wiio 
was  outside  with  the  cattle  on  that  side  of  the  square, 
did  the  same.  The  other  natives  had  been  ordered  to 
retain  their  fire  until  the  lions  were  close  enough  to 
insure  each  shot  telling.  The  lion  at  which  Dick  had 
aimed  paused  for  a  moment  with  a  terrific  roar,  and  then 
bounded  forward  again.  When  he  came  within  twenty- 
yards  of  the  oxen  the  four  natives  posted  by  Dick's  side 
fired.  The  lion  for  a  moment  fell;  then,  gathering  itself 
together,  it  sprang  on  to  the  back  of  a  bullock,  just  in 
front  of  where  Dick  was  standing.  The  lad  had  a  sec- 
ond rifle  in  readiness,  and  leaning  forward  he  placed  the 
muzzle  within  two  yards  of  the  lion's  head  and  fired. 
The  animal  rolled  off  the  back  of  the  bullock,  who,  with 
the  one  standing  next  to  him,  at  once  began  to  kick  at 
it,  endeavoring  to  get  their  heads  round  to  gore  it  with 
their  horns.  The  lion,  however,  lay  unmoved;  Dick's 
last  shot  had  been  fatal. 


\$ee  Newcomers  as  once  opened  Fiee. 


Colonists,  p.  1S9» 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  139 

The  other,  lions  on  this  side  had  bounded  back  into  the 
darkness.  From  the  other  sides  of  the  square  the  sound 
of  firing  proclaimed  that  similar  attacks  had  been  made; 
but  as  there  was  no  summons  for  aid,  Dick  supposed 
that  the  attacks  were  isolated  ones,  and  so,  after  recharg- 
ing his  rifles,  he  remained  quietly  at  his  post. 

For  some  hours  the  attack  was  not  renewed,  though 
the  continuous  roaring  showed  that  the  lions  were  still 
elose  at  hand.  Mr.  Harvey  went  round  and  advised  the 
boys  to  lie  down  at  their  posts  and  get  a  little  sleep,  as 
the  natives  would  keep  watch. 

"I  don't  think  we  have  done  with  them  yet,"  he  said; 
"we  have  killed  three,  but  I  think,  by  the  roaring,  the 
number  has  considerably  increased  within  the  last  hour. 
It  is  probable  that  an  attack  will  be  made  an  hour  or  so 
before  daybreak,  and  I  expect  it  will  be  in  earnest  next 
time." 

Dick  accordingly  lay  down  to  sleep,  but  he  was  too 
excited  to  close  his  eyes. 

After  a  long  time  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  roaring 
was  dying  away,  and  a  drowsiness  was  stealing  over  him, 
when  suddenly  Mr.  Harvey's  rifle  was  heard,  and  he 
shouted: 

"To  this  side — quick!  they  are  upon  us." 

Dick,  Tom,  and  Jumbo,  with  the  six  natives,  leaped 
iiom  the  wagons,  and,  running  across  the  little  inclo- 
sure,  scrambled  up  into  those  on  the  other  side.  There 
was  a  momentary  silence  here,  the  whole  of  the  defend-- 
ants  having  discharged  their  pieces,  and  a  number  of 
lions  bounding  across  the  open  were  already  close  to  the 
cattle. 

The  newcomers  at  once  opened  fire.  Two  or  three 
01  the  lions  sprang  among  the  cattle;  but  the  rest,  in- 
timidated by  the  noise  and  flash  of  the  guns,  and  by  the 
yelling  and  shouting  of  the  natives,  turned  and  made  off 


140  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

again.  Those  among  the  cattle  were  soon  disposed  of, 
but  not  before  they  had  killed  three  of  the  draft-oxen 
and  seriously  torn  two  others. 

*  The  roaring  continued  until  daybreak,  gradually,  how- 
ever, growing  fainter  and  more  distant,  and  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  attack  had  ceased* _._. 

"Are  their  skins  worth  anything?"  Dick  asked. 

"Yes,  they  are  worth  a  few  dollars  apiece,  except  in 
the  case  of  old  lions,  who  are  apt  to  become  mangy,  and 
these  are  not  worth  skinning.  We  have  killed  eight  of 
them,  but  their  skins  will  not  be  worth  anything  like  so 
much  as  the  cattle  they  have  killed;  however,  it  is  well 
that  it  is  no  worse.  An  attack  by  these  troops  of  lions 
is  no  joke;  they  are  by  far  the  most  formidable  animals 
of  South  Africa.  I  don't  say  that  an  attack  by  a  herd  of 
wild  elephants  would  not  be  more  serious,  but  I  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing  taking  place.  They  are  timid 
creatures,  and  easily  scared,  and  except  in  the  case  of 
wounded  animals  or  of  solitary  bulls  they  can  scarcely  b© 
considered  as  dangerous." 

When  day  broke  the  native:!  set  to  work  -to  skin  th@ 
lions,  with  the  exception  of  one  whose  skin  was  value- 
less. As  soon  as  the  operation  was  completed  the  skins 
were  packed  in  the  wagons,  the  oxen  were  inspanned3 
and  the  caravan  proceeded  on  its  way,  ail  being  glad  to 
leave  so  dangerous  a  locality. 

Tire  next  evening  they  encamped  upon  a  liver,  and  ths 
nighs  passed  without  interruption.  The  following  mcrn° 
ing3  just  as  they  were  about  to  start,  Tony,  who  with  the 
Other  hunters  had  gone  out  at  daybreak,  r;'Lrrned  with 
the  news  that  he  had  found  the  spoor  o2  elephant^  and 
$hat  he  believed  c.  hard  had  passed  along  only  a  £eT,7 
licurs  before. 

Mr.  Harvey  at  once  decided  fee  halt  where  he  was  id' 
another  day.    The  oxen  were  agair  unyoked.,  andsir.  r:'r 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  141 

the  armed  natives  having  been  left  to  guard  the  camp, 
under  the  direction  of  Jumbo  the  whole  of  the  rest,  with 
the  white  men,  set  off  in  pursuit  of  the  elephants. 

The  spoor  was  quite  distinct,  and  even  had  this  failed, 
there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  following  the 
track,  for  there  were  scattered  here  and  there  trees,  and 
the  elephants  in  passing  had  broken  off  many  boughs, 
which,  stripped  of  their  leaves,  lay  upon  the  ground 
they  had  traversed. 

Tony  and  the  other  hunter,  Avhose  name  was  Blacking, 
a  sobriquet  gained  from  the  extreme  swarthiness  of  his 
skin,  scouted  ahead,  and  presently  held  "up  their  hands 
to  those  following  them  to  advance  quietly.  The  trees 
were  very  thick  here,  and  Mr.  Harvey  and  the  boys  dis- 
mounted and  led  their  horses  to  the  spot  where  the 
hunters  had  halted.  They  were  standing  at  the  edge  of 
a  large  circular  clearing,  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  diam- 
eter; it  had  probably  at  one  time  been  the  site  of  a 
native  village,  for  there  were  signs  of  cultivation,  and  a 
number  of  scattered  heads  of  maize  rose  here  and  there, 
the  descendants  of  a  bygone  mealie  plantation.  Feeding 
upon  these  were  a  herd  of  some  twenty  elephants;  of 
these  the  greater  portion  were  females  or  young  ones,  but 
there  were  three  fine  males — one,  a  beast  of  unusual  size. 

''That  is  the  master  of  the  herd,"  Mr.  Harvey  said, 
"a  savage-looking  old  customer;  he  has  a  splendid  pair 
of  tusks,  although  the  tip  of  one,"  he  added,  gazing  at 
the  elephant  through  his  fieldglass,  "is  broken  off.  I 
think  that  for  the  present  we  will  leave  him  alone,  and 
direct  our  attention  to  the  other  two  males.  I  will  take 
Tom  and  Jumbo  with  me;  you,  Dick,  shall  have  Tony 
and  Blacking.  Three  of  the  natives  shall  go  with  each 
party,  but  you  must  not  rely  upon  them  much;  and,  re- 
member, the  one  fatal  spot  is  the  forehead.  Fasten  your 
horses  up  here,  and  leave  two  of  the  natives  in  charge. 


142  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Let  the  other  six  go  round  to  the  opposite  side  of  th« 
clearing  and  advance  slowly  from  that  direction,  showing 
themselves  occasionally,  so  as  to  draw  the  attention  ai. 
the  herd  toward  them.  The  elephants  will  probably 
move  leisurely  in  this  direction.  Take  your  station  be- 
hind trees,  moving  your  position  carefully  as  they 
approach,  so  as  to  place  yourselves  as  near  as  possible  in 
the  line  of  the  elephant  you  have.fixed  on.  "We  will  take 
up  our  station  a  hundred  yards  to  the  right  of  where  we 
are  standing;  do  you  go  as  far  to  the  left.  The  natives 
will  take  the  horses  into  a  thicket  some  distance  in  the 
rear.  Whichever  of  the  two  young  male  elephants, 
comes  nearest  to  you  is  your  mark,  ours  is  the  other.  If 
they  keep  near  each  other  we  shall  probably  meet  again 
here." 

The  two  parties  moved  off  to  the  places  assigned  to 
them,  and  the  natives  whose  duty  it  was  to  drive  the 
elephants  started  to  their  positions.  Keeping  some  little 
distance  back  among  the  trees,  so  that  they  could  observe 
the  movements  of  the  elephants,  while  themselves  un- 
seen, Dick  and  his  party  moved  to  the  spot  indicated, 
and  then  sat  down. 

For  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  elephants  continued 
to  feed  upon  the  heads  of  maize;  then  the  big  male  sud- 
denly wheeled  round,  extended  his  great  ears,  lifted  his 
trunk,  and  trumpeted.  At  this  signal  the  others  all 
gathered  together,  and  stood  gazing  in  the  direction  fro*n 
which  danger  threatened.  Again  the  old  bull  gave  an 
angry  scream.  The  others  moved  slowly  away  from  the 
danger,  but  he  advanced  in  the  direction  in  which  he 
had  seen  the'natives. 

"Very  bad  elephant  that,"  Tony  whispered  to  Dick; 
"he  give  heaps  of  trouble;  you  see  him  charge." 

A  minute  or  two  later  the  elephant,  catching  sight  of 
his  enemies,  quickened  his  pace,  and  with  his  little  tail 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  143 

switching  angrily,  uplifted  trunk,  and  widespread  ears, 
he  charged  down  upon  them  at  a  pace  of  which  Dick  had 
not  supposed  so  cumbersome  a  beast  would  be  capable. 

In  a  moment  the  distant  natives  were  seen  to  rise  from 
the  grass  and  to  run  at  full  speed  back  toward  the  wood. 
The  elephant  pursued  them  until  he  reached  the  trees; 
here  he  halted,  and  gazed  for  some  time  into  the  wood. 
Then  seeing  no  signs  of  the  natives — for  these  knew  bet- 
ter than  to  provoke  so  vicious  a  beast  by  firing  at  him — • 
he  trumpeted  defiantly,  and  slowly  retraced  his  steps 
toward  the  rest  of  the  herd.  These,  led  by  the  two 
toiales,  were  already  approaching  the  trees  behind  which 
Dick  and  his  party  were  lying  concealed.  Before  they 
had  arrived  there  Mr.  Harvey  and  his  party  came  up. 

Dick  and  Tom  were  both  carrying  heavy  smooth-bore 
guns,  similar  to  those  used  by  the  Boers.  These  their 
fathers  had  purchased  at  Newcastle  on  the  day  of  their 
start;  they  were  old.  weapons,  but  very  strong  and  serv- 
iceable; they  carried  a  heavy  charge  of  powder  and  a 
large  ball,  of  a  mixture  of  lead  and  tin,  specially  made 
for  elephant-shooting. 

"Dick  fire  first,"  Blacking  whispered  in  his  ear;  "if 
he  not  kill  him,  then  the  rest  of  us  fire." 

Dick  was  lying  down  behind  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  his 
rifle  steadied  against  it;  when  the  elephant  was  within  a 
distance  of  twenty  yards  he  fired,  taking  steady  aim  at 
the  vital  point.  The  recoil  of  the  piece  was  tremendous, 
and  the  roar  of  its  report  almost  stunned  him;  be  gave, 
however,  a  shout  of  delight,  for  the  elephant  stood  for 
half  a  minute  swaying  from  side  to  side,  and  then  fell 
heavily  upon  the  ground. 

Mr.  Harvey  had  given  Tom  the  first  shot  at  the  other 
elephant;  but,  just  at  the  moment  when  the  lad  was 
about  to  fire,  the  elephant  gave  a  sudden  start  at  the 
report  of  Disk's  rifle,  and  Tom's  shot  struck  it  at  the 


144  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

side  of  the  head  and  glancing  off  passed  through  its  ear. 
Throwing  up  its  trunk,  the  elephant  instantly  charged. 
Mr.  Harvey  fired,  but  the  uplifted  trunk  prevented  his 
getting  an  accurate  aim  at  the  vital  spot.  The  bullet 
passed  through  ohe  trunk,  and  then  glanced  off  the  fore- 
head. The  elephant  swerved  and  showed  its  side,  at 
which  a  general  volley  was  fired  by  all  the  guns  still 
loaded.  The  great  beast  stood  still  for  an  instant, 
stumbled  forward  a  few  strides,  and  then  its  legs  seemed 
to  bend  beneath  it,  and  it  sank  down  quietly  to  the 
ground. 

Just  at  this  moment,  as  the  affrighted  cows  were  turn- 
ing to  fly  across  the  plain,  there  was  a  thundering  rush,, 
and  the  great  elephant  charged  through  them,  and  pass- 
ing between  the  dead  males  dashed  into  the  wood.  Its 
rush  was  so  sudden  and  headlong  that  it  carried  the  ele- 
phant past  the  men  standing  behind  the  trees;  but  it 
speedily  checked  itself,  and  turning  round  made  a  rush 
upon  them.  There  was  an  instant  stampede.  Most  of 
the  natives  at  once  threw  away  their  guns;  some  climbed 
hastily  up  into  the  trees  against  which  they  were  stand- 
ing; others  took  to  the  bushes.  The  elephant  charged 
in  after  these,  but  seeing  no  signs  of  them  he  speedily 
came  out  again  and  looked  round  for  a  fresh  foe.  His 
eye  fell  upon  Dick,  who  had  just  recharged  his  rifle. 

"Kun,  Dick!  run!"  shouted  Mr.  Harvey. 

But  Dick  saw  that  the  elephant  was  upon  him,  whil© 
the  tree  near  which  he  was  standing  was  too  thick  to 
climb.  The  elephant  was  holding  his  head  so  high  that 
Dick  could  not  aim  at  the  spot  on  the  forehead,  out* 
waiting  until  the  animal  was  within  ten  yards  of  Jliaj5fi& 
fired  into  its  open  mouth,  and  then  leaped  bemad  the 
tree.  With  a  scream  of  pain  the  elephant  rushed  OB*1 
but  being  unable  to  check  himself  he  came  fall  butt  with 
tremendous  force  against  the  tree,  which  quivered  under 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  145 

the  blow,  and  Dick,  thinking  that  it  was  going  to  fall 
upon  him,  sprang  back  a  pace.  Three  or  four  more 
shots  were  fired  before  the  elephant  could  turn,  and  then 
wheeling  round  it  charged  upon  its  new  assailants. 

Tom  was  one  of  those  nearest  to  him;  the  boy  had  just 
discharged  his  rifle  and  advanced  a  few  feet  from  the  tree 
behind  which  he  had  been  standing.  Before  he  could 
regain  it  he  felt  something  pass  round  him,  there  was  a 
tremendous  squeeze,  which  stopped  his  breath  and  seemed 
to  press  his  life  out  of  him,  then  he  felt  himself  flying 
high  into  the  air,  and  became  insensible. 

Apparently  satisfied  with  what  he  had  done,  the  ele- 
phant continued  his  rapid  pace  into  the  open  again,  and 
followed  the  retreating  herd  across  the  plain. 

Dick  had  given  a  cry  of  horror,  as  he  saw  the  elephant 
seize  his  friend,  and  his  heart  seemed  to  stand  still  when 
he  saw  him  whirled  high  in  the  air.  Tom  fell  into  a 
thick  and  bushy  tree,  and  there,  breaking  through  the 
light  foliage  at  the  top,  remained  suspended  in  the  upper 
boughs. 

In  an  instant  Jumbo  climbed  the  tree,  and  making  his 
way  to  the  lad  lifted  him  from  the  fork  in  which  he  was 
wedged,  placed  him  on  his  shoulder  as  easily  as  if  he  had 
been  a  child,  and  descending  the  tree  laid  him  on  the 
ground  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Harvey.  The  latter  at  once 
knelt  beside  him. 

"Thank  God,  he  is  breathing!"  he  exclaimed  at  once. 
"Lift  his  head,  Dick;  open  his  shirt,  Blacking;  and  give 
me  some  water  out  of  your  gourd.  I  trust  he  is  only 
stunned;  that  brute  was  in  such  a  hurry  that  he  had  not 
time  to  squeeze  him  fairly,  and  the  tree  has  broken  his 
fall.  If  he  had  come  down  to  the  gound  from  that 
height  it  must  have  killed  him." 

He  sprinkled  seme  water  upon  the  lad's  face  and 
chest,  and  to  his  and  Dick's  delight  Tom  presently 


146  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

opened  his  eyes.  He  looked  round  in  a  surprised  and 
half-stupid  way,  and  then  made  an  effort  to  rise,  but  a. 
cry  broke  from  him  as  he  did  so. 

"Lie  still,  Tom,"  Mr.  Harvey  said;  "you  are  hurt, 
but,  I  hope,  not  severely.  Cut  his  shirt  off,  Dick;  I 
expect  some  of  his  ribs  are  broken." 

Upon  Mr.  Harvey  carefully  feeling  Tom's  ribs,  he 
found,  as  he  had  expected,  that  five  of  them  were  broken 
— three  on  one  side  and  two  on  the  other. 

"Some  of  your  ribs  are  damaged,  Tom,"  he  said 
cheerfully;  "but  that  is  of  no  great  consequence;  they 
all  seem  pretty  fairly  in  their  places.  Now  I  will  ban- 
dage you  tightly,  so  as  to  keep  them  there,  and  then  we 
will  carry  you  back  to  the  wagons  and  nurse  you  until 
they  grow  together  again;  young  bones  soon  heal,  and  in 
a  week  or  ten  days  you  will,  I  hope,  be  able  to  travel 
again;  you  had  a  close  shave  of  it.  I  never  met  a  more 
savage  beast  than  that  bull-elephant  in  all  my  experi- 
ence." 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  147 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

AN  ATTACK  BY   ELEPHANTS. 

A  littee  was  speedily  constructed  from  some  boughs 
of  trees,  and  Torn  being  placed  in  it  was  at  once  carried 
back  to  the  camp,  escorted  by  his  friend.  The  hunters 
remained  behind  to  cut  out  the  tusks  of  the  two  ele- 
phants that  had  fallen.  A  portion  of  the  trunks  and 
feet,  which  are  considered  the  most  delicate  portions  of 
the  elephant,  was  laid  aside  for  the  use  of  the  white  men, 
and  a  large  quantity  of  meat  was  brought  back  to  camp 
ior  the  natives. 

The  sound  of  firing  had  brought  up  some  people  from 
a,  small  village  two  or  three  miles  away,  and  these  to  their 
immense  joy  were  allowed  to  carry  off  enough  meat  to 
enable  them  to  feast  to  the  utmost  extent  of  their  ability 
for  a  week  to  come. 

Mr.  Harvey  had  in  the  course  of  his  wanderings  fre- 
quently had  occasion  to  dress  wounds  and  bandage 
broken  bones;  he  was  therefore  able  to  apply  the  neces- 
sary bandages  to  Tom,  and  the  lad  was  soon  lying  in 
comparative  ease  on  a  bed  formed  of  rags.  Generally 
the  boys  slept  in  hammocks,  but  Mr,  Harvey  insisted 
^that  Tom  must  lie  perfectly  straight  on  his  back  until 
the  bones  had  begun  to  set  again. 

"We  made  a  sad  mess  with  that  old  bull  to-day,  Dick," 
he  said.  "It  is  humiliating  to  think  that  he  should  have 
charged  us  all,  injured  Tom,  and  got  away  almost 
unscathed." 


148  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"You  see,  sir,"  Dick  said,  "he  attacked  us  unexpect- 
edly; our  guns  were  all  discharged,  and  he  came  on  with 
t  such  a  rush  that  there  was  no  getting  a  steady  shot  at 
him.  The  whole  affair  lasted  little  more  than  a  minute, 
I  should  say." 

"I  shall  go  out  to-morrow  morning,"  Mr.  Harvey  said, 
"and  take  up  the  track  again,  and  see  if  I  cannot  get 
even  with  the  beast.  There  is  time  enough  to-day,  for  it 
is  still  early,  but  the  herd  will  be  so  restless  and  sus- 
picious that  there  will  be  no  getting  near  them,  and  I 
should  not  care  to  face  that  old  bull  unless  I  had  a  fair 
chance  of  killing  him  at  the  first  shot.  He  has  a  mag- 
nificent pair  of  tusks,  and  ivory  sells  so  high  that  they 
would  be  worth  a  good  deal  of  trouble  and  some  risk  to* 
get." 

"Shall  I  go  with  you,  sir?" 

"No,  Dick,  I  would  rather  you  did  not.  The  business 
will  be  more  dangerous  than  usual,  and  I  should  not  like 
the  responsibility  of  having  you  with  me.  Tom  had  as- 
narrow  a  shave  yesterday  as  ever  I  saw,  and  I  certainly 
do  not  want  two  of  you  on  my  hands." 

Dick  was  not  sorry  at  Mr.  Harvey's  decision,  for  after 
the  charge  of  the  bull-elephant  he  felt  just  at  present  he 
should  not  care  about  encountering  another.  The  next 
morning  Mr.  Harvey,  accompanied  by  the  three  native 
hunters  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  others,  started  in 
pursuit  of  the  elephants. 

Dick,  after  sitting  for  some  time  with  Tom,  took  his 
gun  and  wandered  round  near  the  camp,  shooting  birds. 
As  the  sun  got  high,  and  the  heat  became  fiercer  and 
fiercer,  he  returned  to  camp,  and  had  just  taken  off  his 
coat  and  sat  down  by  the  side  of  Tom  when  he  heard 
shouts  of  terror  outside  the  tent. 

Eunning  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  he  saw  the 
natives  in  a  state  of  wild  terror.     They  pointed  across 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  149> 

the  plaio,  and  Dick,  to  his  astonishment  and  alarm,  saw 
a  g-reat  elephant  approaching  at  a  rapid  trot,  with  his. 
trunk  in  the  air  and  his  ears  extended  to  the  fullest.  He 
recognized  at  once  the  bull  which  had  charged  them  on 
the  previous  day.  The  natives  were  now  flying  in  all 
directions.  Dick  shouted  to  them  to  stand  and  get  their 
muskets,  but  his  words  were  unheeded;  he  ran  to  the 
tent,  seized  the  long  smooth-bore  gun  which  he  had 
carried  the  day  before,  and  also  that  of  Tom,  and  charged 
them  both  hastily,  but  coolly. 

"What  on  earth  is  it  all  about?"  Tom  asked. 

"It  is  the  elephant  again,  Tom;  lie  quiet,  whatever- 
you  do;  you  cannot  run  away,  so  lie  just  as  you  are." 

Then  with  a  gun  in  each  hand  Dick  ran  out  of  the 
tent  again.  The  elephant  was  now  but  a  hundred  yards 
away.  Dick  climbed  into  a  wagon  standing  in  the  line 
on  which  he  was  coming,  knelt  down  in  the  bottom  and 
rested  the  muzzle  on  the  side,  standing  up  and  waving 
his  arm  before  he  did  so,  so  as  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  elephant.  The  great  beast  saw  him,  and  trumpeting 
loudly  came  straight  down  at  him;  Dick  knelt,  as  steady 
as  a  rock,  with  the  sight  of  the  gun  upon  the  elephant's 
forehead. 

When  he  was  within  twenty  yards  Dick  drew  the  = 
trigger,  and,  without  waiting  to  see  the  result,  snatched 
up  and  leveled  the  second  gun.  The  elephant  had 
staggered  as  he  was  hit,  and  then,  as  with  a  great  effort, 
he  pulled  himself  together  and  again  moved  forward,  but , 
with  a  stumbling  and  hesitating  step;  taking  steady  aim 
again,  Dick  fired  when  the  elephant's  trunk  was  within 
a  yard  of  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and  then  springing  to 
his  feet,  leaped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  wagon  and 
took  to  his  heels. 

After  running  a  few  steps  he  glanced  back  over  his 
shoulder^  and  then  ceased  running;  the  elephant  was  no  * 


150  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

longer  in  sight  above  the  wagon,  but  had  fallen  an  inert 
mass  by  its  side. 

\    "All  right,  Tom!"  Dick  shouted  loudly.;  "I  have  done 
for  him." 

Before  going  to  look  at  the  fallen  elephant  Dick  went 
to  the  spot  where  stood  the  piled  muskets  of  the  natives 
who  had  fled;  dropping  a  ramrod  into  them,  he  found 
that  two  were  loaded,  and  taking  these  in  his  hands  he 
advanced  toward  the  elephant.  The  precaution  was 
needless;  the  great  beast  lay  dead;  the  two  heavy  balls 
liad  struck  within  an  inch  or  two  of  each  other,  and 
penetrated  the  brain.  The  first  would  have  been  fatal, 
and  the  elephant  was  about  to  fall  when  Dick  had  fired 
the  second  time. 

Gradually  the  drivers  and  other  natives  returned  to 
■camp  with  shouts  of  triumph.  These,  however,  Dick 
speedily  silenced  by  a  volley  of  abuse  for  their  cowardice 
in  running  away  and  leaving  Tom  to  his  fate.  A  few 
minutes  later  Mr.  Harvey  galloped  in  at  full  speed, 
closely  followed  by  the  swift-footed  Blacking. 

"Thank  God,  you  are  safe,  my  boys,"  Mr.  Harvey 
said  as  he  leaped  from  his  horse.  "I  have  had  a  terrible 
fright.  We  followed  the  spoor  to  the  point  where  they 
iiad  passed  the  night;  here  the  trackers  were  much  puz- 
zled by  the  fact  that  the  great  elephant,  whose  tracks 
were  easily  distinguished  from  the  others,  seemed  to 
have  passed  the  night  in  rushing  furiously  about. 
Numbers  of  young  trees  had  been  torn  up  by  the  roots, 
and  great  branches  twisted  off  the  larger  trees.  They 
concluded  that  he  must  have  received  some  wound  which 
had  maddened  him  with  pain.  We  took  up  the  track 
where  the  herd  had  moved  on,  but  soon  found  that  he 
had  separated  himself  from  it,  and  had  gone  off  at  full 
speed  by  himself.  We  set  off  in  pursuit,  observing  a 
good  deal  of  caution,  for  if  he  had  turned,  as  was  likely 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  15} 

enough,  and  had  come  upon  us  while  in  such  a  frantic 
state,  we  should  have  had  to  bolt  for  our  lives.  I  was 
thinking  only  of  this  when  I  saw  the  hunters  talking  to- 
gether and  gesticulating.  I  soon  found  out  what  waa- 
the  matter.  They  told  me  that  if  the  elephant  kept  on 
in  the  line  he  was  taking,  it  would  assuredly  bring  him 
in  sight  of  the  camp,  if  not  straight  upon  it.  As  I  had 
no  doubt  that  he  would  in  that  case  attack  it,  I  put 
spurs  to  my  horse  at  once,  and  dashed  on  at  full  speed  in 
hopes  of  overtaking  the  elephant,  and  turning  it,  before 
it  came  within  sight  of  the  camp.  I  became  more  and 
more  anxious  as  I  neared  the  camp  and  found  the  ele- 
phant was  still  before  me;  then  I  heard  two  shots  closer 
together,  and  I  could  hear  no  others,  and  you  may  guess- 
how  relieved  I  was  when  I  caught  sight  of  the  camp,  and 
saw  the  natives  gathered  round  something  which  was,  I 
had  no  doubt,  the  elephant.  I  had  feared  that  I  should 
see  the  whole  place  in  confusion,  the  wagons  upset,  and 
above  all  the  tent  leveled.  Thank  God,  my  dear  boy> 
you  are  ail  safe!    Now  tell  me  all  about  it." 

Dick  related  the  circumstances,  and  Mr.  Harvey- 
praised  him  highly  for  the  promptnessy  coolness,  and 
courage  with  which  he  had  acted.  Then  he  roundly 
abused  the  natives  in  their  own  language  for  their  cow- 
ardly conduct. 

"Are  you  not  ashamed  of  yourselves?"  he  asked;, 
"what  do  you  carry  your  arms  for  if  you  are  afraid  to  use 
them?  Here  are  sixteen  men,  all  with  muskets,  who* 
run  away  in  a  panic,  and  leave  one  white  lad  to  defend 
his  wounded  friend  alone." 

The  reproaches  of  Mr.  Harvey  were  mild  by  the  side  of 
the  abuse  which  the  three  hunters— for  by  this  time* 
Tony  and  Jumbo  had  reached  the  camp — lavished  upon 
their  compatriots. 

"What  are    you  good  for?"   they  asked  scornfully^. 


152  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"you  are  fit  only  to  be  slaves  to  the  Dutch;  the  master 
had  better  hire  women  to  march  with  him;  he  ought  to 
take  your  arms  away,  and  to  set  you  to  spin." 

Crestfallen  as  the  natives  were  at  their  own  cowardice, 
they  were  roused  by  the  abuse  of  the  hunters,  and  a 
furious  quarrel  would  have  ensued  had  not  Mr.  Harvey 
interposed  his  authority  and  smoothed  matters  down,  ad- 
mitting that  the  attack  of  the  enraged  elephant  was 
really  terrifying,  and  telling  the  natives  that  now  they 
saw  how  well  the  white  men  could  fight,  they  would  no 
doubt  be  ready  to  stand  by  them  next  time. 

The  hunters  now  proceeded  to  cut  out  the  tusks  of  the 
elephant.  When  they  did  so  the  cause  of  the  animal's 
singular  behavior  became  manifest;  a  ball  had  struck 
him  just  at  the  root  of  the  tusk,  and  had  buried  itself  in 
one  of  the  nerves  there,  no  doubt  causing  excruciating 
pain. 

The  tusks  were  grand  ones,  Mr.  Harvey  saying  that  he 
had  seldom  seen  a  finer  pair.  The  news  of  the  slaughter 
of  three  elephants  drew  together  a  considerable  number 
of  natives,  who  were  delighted  to  receive  permission  to 
carry  off  as  much  meat  as  they  chose.  When  the 
greater  portion  of  the  flesh  of  the  old  bull  had  been  re- 
moved, ten  oxen  were  harnessed  to  the  remains  of  the 
earcass,  and  it  was  dragged  to  a  distance  from  camp,  as 
Mr.  Harvey  was  desirious  of  remaining  where  he  was  for 
some  days  longer  on  Tom's  account,  and  the  effluvia  from 
the  carcass  would  in  a  very  short  time  have  rendered  the 
camp  uninhabitable  had  it  remained  in  the  vicinity. 

In  a  week  Tom  was  convalescent;  he  was  still,  how- 
ever, very  stiff  and  sore.  A  hammock  was  therefore 
slung  under  the  tilt  of  one  of  the  wagons,  the  sides  were 
drawn  up  to  allow  of  a  free  passage  of  air,  and  the  cara- 
van then  went  forward  on  its  journey. 

For  the  next  fortnight  nothing  of  importance  hap- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  153 

pened;  sometimes  the  journeys  were  short,  sometimes; 
extremely  long,  being  regulated  entirely  by  the  occur- 
rence of  water.  At  many  of  the  halting-places  a  good 
deal  of  trade  was  done,  as  the  news  of  the  coming  of 
the  caravan  spread  far  ahead  of  it,  and  the  natives  for  a 
considerable  distance  on  each  side  of  the  line  of  rout& 
came  down  to  trade  with  it.  They  brought  with  them 
skins  of  beasts  and  birds,  small  packets  of  gold-dust, 
ostrich  feathers,  and  occasionally  ivory.  Mr.  Harvey  was- 
well  content  with  his  success  so  far. 

For  some  time  past,  owing  to  the  disturbed  state  of 
the  country  and  the  demand  for  wagons  occasioned  by 
the  war,  the  number  of  traders  who  had  made  their  way 
north  had  been  very  small,  and  the  natives  consequently 
were  eager  to  buy  cotton  and  cloth,  and  to  get  rid  of  the. 
articles  which  they  had  been  accumulating  for  the  pur- 
pose of  barter  with  the  whites.  Never  before,  Mr. 
Harvey  said,  had  he  done  so  good  a  trade  in  so  short  a 
time. 

At  the  end  of  the  fortnight  after  starting  Tom  was: 
agair  able  to  take  his  seat  in  the  saddle  and  ride  quietly 
along  jy  the  side  of  the  caravan,  Mr.  Harvey  warning 
him  on  no  account  to  go  above  a  walking  pace  at  present 
as  a  jerk  or  a  jar  might  break  the  newly-knit  bones,  and 
undo  all  the  work  that  had  been  effected. 

In  the  meantime  Dick,  accompanied  by  one  or  other 
of  the  hunters,  always  rode  out  from  the  line  of  march, 
and  had  no  difficulty  in  providing  an  ample  supply  of 
game.  He  was  careful,  however,  not  to  shoot  more  than 
was  required,  for  both  he  and  Mr.  Harvey  viewed  with 
abhorrence  the  taking  of  life  unnecessarily,  merely  for 
the  purpose  of  sport.  He  was  able,  nevertheless,  to  kill 
a  great  many  deer  without  feeling  that  their  flesh  was 
wasted;  for  not  only  were  the  number  of  mouths  in  the 
caravan  large,  and  their  powers  of  eating  wonderful,  but 


154  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

the  natives  who  came  in  to  trade  were  always  glad  to  eat 
«p  any  surplus  that  remained — and  indeed  Mr.  Harvey 
"•iqund    the  liberal   distribution   of    meat  opened  their 
.hearts  and  much  facilitated  trade. 

Two  or  three  days  after  they  had  left  the  scene  of  the 
elephant-hunt  some  objects  were  seen  far  out  on  the  ) 
plain,   which  the  hunters    at    once   pronounced   to  be 
ostriches.     Dick  would  have  started  in  pursuit,  but  Mr. 
Harvey  checked  him. 

"They  can  run,"  he  said,  "faster  than  a  horse  can  gal- 
lop. Tboy  can  indeed  be  ridden  down,  as  they  almost 
always  run  in  a  great  circle,  and  the  pursuit  can  betaken 
Tip  with  fresh  horses,  but  this  is  a  long  business.  We 
will  send  the  hunters  out  first,  to  get  on  the  other  side 
■of  them,  and  when  they  are  posted  we  will  ride  out. 
doing  quite  slowly  the  attention  of  the  birds  will  be  di- 
Tected  to  us;  this  will  give  the  hunters  an  opportunity  of 
creeping  up  on  the  other  side  and  shooting  or  lassoing 
them.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  they  have  a  good  many 
young  ones  with  them — this  is  about  the  time  of  year 
when  this  is  usually  the  case.  If  we  could  catch  a  dozen 
of  them  they  would  be  prizes,  for  they  fetch  a  good  sum 
down  in  the  colony,  where  ostrich-farming  is  carried  on 
on  a  large  scale.  They  are  very  easily  tamed,  and  would 
soon  keep  with  the  caravan  and  give  no  trouble." 

After  remaining  quiet  for  some  little  time  to  give  the 
hunters  time  to  make  a  wide  circuit,  Mr.  Harvey  and 
Dick  rode  quietly  forward  toward  the  birds,  who  stood 
on  a  slight  swell  of  ground  at  a  distance  of  about  half  a 
mile,  evidently  watching  the  caravan  with  great  interest. 

By  Mr.  Harvey's  instruction  Dick  unrolled  the  blanket 
"which  ho  always  carried  on  his  saddle,  and  taking  an  end 
in  each  hand  held  it  out  at  arm's  length  on  a  level  with 
the  top  of  his  head,  Mr.  Harvey  doing  the  same. 

"They  are  silly  birds,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "and  their 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  155- 

attention  is  easily  caught  by  anything  they  don't  under- 
stand. Like  all  other  wild  creatures  they  are  afraid  of 
man;  but  by  holding  the  blankets  out  like  sails  they  do- 
not  see  our  outline,'  and  cannot  make  out  what  th$ 
strange  creatures  advancing  toward  them  can  be." 

At  a  foot-pace  they  advanced  toward  the  ostrichesj. 
these  made  no  signs  of  retreat  until  the  horsemen  ap- 
proached to  within  about  seventy  yards.  Then  from  the 
brow  behind  the  birds  the  three  hunters  suddenly  rose 
up,  and  whirling  the  balls  of  their  lassoes  round  their 
heads  launched  them  among  the  ostriches.  Three  birds 
fell  with  the  cords  twisted  round  their  legs,  and  two 
more  were  shot  as  the  startled  flock  dashed  off  at  full 
speed  across  the  plain.  Mr,  Harvey  and  Dink  dropped 
their  blankets,  and  started  at  full  gallop. 

"Bring  down  an  old  bird  if  you  can,  Dick,  and  then 
let  the  rest  go,  and  give  your  attention  to  cutting  off  the 
young  ones." 

Dick  fired  at  one  of  the  old  birds,  but  missed;  Mr. 
Harvey  brought  one  to  the  ground.  The  young  ostriches,, 
which  were  but  a  few  weeks  old,  soon  began  to  tail  off  in* 
the  race,  and  after  ten  minutes'  riding  Mr.  Harvey  and 
Dick  had  the  satisfaction  of  getting  ahead  of  them  and 
turning  them.  A  little  more  driving  brought  the  fright- 
ened creatures  to  a  standstill,  and  most  of  them  dropped 
in  a  squatting  position  to  the  ground,  huddled  together 
like  frightened  chickens.  They  were  sixteen  in  number,, 
but  one  which  had  falJen  and  broken  its  leg  was  at  once 
shot.  The  legs  of  the  young  ostrich  are  extremely 
brittle,  and  one  of  the  troubles  of  the  farmers  who  rear 
them  is  that  they  so  frequently  break  their  bones  and 
have  to  be  killed. 

Blacking  was  sent  off  at  his  best  speed  to  overtake  the 
caravan  and  bring  back  a  dozen  men  with  him.  The 
ostriches  which  had  been  lassoed  had  been  at  once  killed 


156  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

by  the  hunters,  and  the  feathers  of  the  five  killed  by 
them  and  of  that  shot  by  Mr.  Harvey  were  pulled  out. 
'"■Three  out  of  the  six  were  in  splendid  plumage. 

"How  much  are  each  of  those  feathers  worth?"  Dick 
■asked. 

"Those  fine  white  ones  will  fetch  from  one  pound  to 
one  pound  five  shillings  apiece  out  here — some  as  high  as 
thirty  shillings.  A  perfect  ostrich  feather,  fit  for  a 
court-plume,  will  sell  in  England  for  three  to  live  pounds. 
The  small,  dark-colored  feathers  are  worth  from  sixpence 
to  one  shilling  apiece." 

The  young  birds,  after  their  wings  had  been  tied  to 
their  sides,  were  lifted  and  carried  away,  Dick  being 
unable  to  help  laughing  at  their  long  legs  sticking  out  in 
front  of  the  bearers,  and  at  their  long  necks  and  beaks, 
with  which  from  time  to  time  they  inflicted  sharp  pecks 
on  the  men  who  were  carrying  them. 

When  the  caravan  was  overtaken  the  birds  were 
placed  in  a  wagon,  and  in  the  evening  were  liberated 
inside  the  laager  formed  by  the  wagons.  Some  grain 
was  thrown  to  them,  and  they  soon  began  to  pick  this 
up.  After  this  their  expression  was  rather  one  of  curiosity 
than  fear,  and  they  exhibited  no  alarm  whatever  when 
Dick,  scattering  some  more  corn,  came  in  and  moved 
quietly  among  them.  For  the  first  few  days  they  were 
•carried  in  a  wagon,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  they  were 
completely  domesticated.  After  the  camp  was  formed 
they  walked  about,  like  barndoor  fowls,  picking  up  any 
scraps  of  food  that  were  thrown  to  them,  and  indeed 
.getting  so  bold  as  sometimes  to  attempt  to  snatch  it  from 
the  men's  hands.  When  on  the  march  they  stalked 
gravely  along  by  the  side  of  the  wagons. 

"What  is  the  value  of  an  ostrich?"  Dick  asked  Mr. 
Harvey  one  day. 

"An  ostrich  of  about  three   or  four  months  old," 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  157 

Mr.  Harvey  replied,  "is  worth  from  thirty  to  fifty 
pounds.  A  full-grown  cock  and  two  hens,  the  stock  with 
which  most  small  settlers  begin  ostrich-farming,  are 
worth  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  pounds. 
Each  hen  will  lay  about  fifty  eggs  in  a  year,  so  that 
if  only  half  are  reared  and  sold  at  the  rate  of  twenty- 
pounds  apiece,  which  is  a  low  price,  at  three  weeks  old,, 
there  is  a  good  profit  upon  them.  The  young  birds  in- 
crease in  value  at  the  rate  of  about  three  pounds  per 
month.  The  feathers  are  generally  sold  by  weight;  fine 
plumes  go  from  seventy  to  ninety  to  the  pound,  and 
fetch  from  forty  to  fifty  pounds.  The  feathers  of  the 
wild  birds  are  worth  a  third  more  than  those  of  the  tame 
ones,  as  they  are  stronger.  The  quantity  of  feathers 
sold  is  astonishing.  One  firm  in  Port  Elizabeth  often 
buys  ten  thousand  pounds' weight  of  ostrich  feathers  per 
week.  Of  course  these  are  not  all  first-class  plumes,  and 
the  prices  range  down  as  low  as  three  pounds  or  fifty 
shillings  for  the  poorest  kind." 

"Where  do  they  get  water  out  here  in  the  desert?" 

"They  have  no  difficulty  here,"  Mr.  Harvey  replied, 
"for  an  ostrich  thinks  nothing  of  going  twenty  or  thirty 
miles;  but  they  require  to  drink  very  seldom." 

"How  many  feathers  can  be  plucked  from  each  bird  a. 
year?" 

"About  three-quarters  of  a  pound  of  first-class  feathers; 
besides  the  inferior  sorts.  There  are  now  such  quan- 
tities of  ostriches  in  the  colony  that  the  price  of 
feathers  has  gone  down  materially,  and  is  now  not  so 
high  as  the  figures  I  have  given  you.  The  highest  class 
feathers,  however,  still  maintain  their  price,  and  are 
likely  to  do  so,  for  the  demand  for  feathers  in  Europe 
increases  at  as  rapid  a  rate  as  does  the  production." 

"I  suppose  they  could  not  be  kept  in  England?"  Dickr 
asked;  "for  there  must  be  a  splendid  profit  on  suck 
farming."  * 


158  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"No,"  Mr.  Harvey  replied;  "they  want  above  all 
things  a  dry  climate.  Warmth  is  of  course  important, 
tl)ut  even  this  is  less  essential  than  dryness.  They  may 
be  reared  in  England  under  artificial  conditions,  but  they 
would  never  grow  up  strong  and  healthy  in  this  way, 
and  would  no  doubt  be  liable  to  disease — 'besides,  as  even 
in  their  native  country  you  see  that  the  feathers  deierio- 
rate  in  strength  and  diminish  in  value  in  domesticated 
birds,  there  would  probably  be  so  great  a  falling  off  in 
the  yield  an4  value  of  feathers  in  birds  kept  under  arti- 
:ficial  conditions  in  England  that  the  speculation  would 
3iot  be  likely  to  pay." 

"Do  the  hens  sit  on  their  eggs,  as  ordinary  hens?" 

"Just  the  same,"  Mr.  Harvey  answered,  "and  very 
iunny  they  look  with  their  long  legs  sticking  out.  Not 
•only  does  the  hen  sit,  but  the  cock  takes  his  turn  at  keep- 
ing the  eggs  warm  when  the  mother  goes  out  to  feed." 

"I  shall  ask  father,"  Dick  said,  "when  we  get  back,  to 
arrange  to  take  these  fifteen  ostriches  as  part  of  his  share 
of  the  venture;  it  would  be  great  fun  to  see  them  stalk- 
ing about." 

"Ah!  we  have  not  got  them  home  yet,"  Mr.  Harvey 
replied,  smiling;  "we  must  .not  be  too  sanguine.  We 
nave  certainly  begun  capitally,  but  there  is  no  saying 
what  adventures  are  before  us  yet.  We  have  been  par- 
ticularly fortunate  in  seeing  nothing  of  the  tzetze  fly. 
As  you  know,  we  have  made  several  considerable  detour 
to  avoid  tracts  of  country  where  they  are  known  to  pre- 
vail, still,  occasionally  they  are  met  with  in  unexpected 
places,  and  I  have  seldom  made  a  trip  without  losing 
some  of  my  horses  and  cattle  from  them." 

"How  is  it  that  a  fly  can  kill  a  horse?  They  are  not 
larger  than  our  bluebottles  at  home,  for  I  saw  one  in  a 
naturalist's  window  in  Pieter-Maritzburg." 

"It  is  a  mystery,  Dick,  which  has  not  yet  been  solved; 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  15& 

there  are  flies  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  whose  bite  is 
•sufficiently  poisonous  to  raise  bumps  underneath  the 
skins  of  animals,  but  nothing  approaching  the  tzetze  in 
virulence.  It  certainly  appears  unaccountable  that  tb© 
venom  of  so  small  a  creature  should  be  able  to  kill  & 
great  animal  like  a  horse  or  an  ox." 

"xf3  it  found  only  in  the  south  of  Africa?" 

"JSTo,  Dick,  it  extends  more  or  less  over  the  whole  of 
the  plateau-lands  of  Africa,  and  is  almost  as  great  a. 
scourge  in  the  highlands  of  Egypt  as  it  is  here." 

"I  wonder,"  Dick  said  thoughtfully,  "why  the  tzetze 
was  created;  most  insects  are  useful  as  scavengers,  or  to> 
furnish  food  for  birds,  but  I  cannot  see  the  use  of  a  fly 
■which  is  so  terribly  destructive  as  this." 

"I  can't  tell  you,  my  boy,"  Mr.  Harvey  said.  "That 
everything,  even  the  tzetze,  has  a  good  purpose,  you  may 
be  sure,  even  though  it  is  hidden  from  us.  Possibly,  for 
example,  it  may  be  discovered  some  day  that  the  tzetze 
is  an  invaluable  medicine  for  some  disease  to  which  man 
is  subject,  just  as  blistering  powder  is  obtained  from  the 
crest-body  of  the  cantharides  beetle.  However,  we  must 
be  content  to  take  it  on  trust.  We  must  leave  our, 
descendants  something  to  discover,  you  know,  Dick;  for 
if  we  go  on  inventing  and  discovering  as  we  are  doing,  it 
is  clear  that  they  must  look  out  for  fresh  channels  for 
research." 


260  TEE  YOUNG  COLO1VIST& 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A  BRUSH   WITH  THE   NATIVES. 

One  day  Jumbo  touched  Dick's  arm,  as  he  was  riding 
along  with  the  caravan,  and,  pointing  to  a  clump  of  trees 
at  some  little  distance,  said: 

"Giraffe." 

Dick  reined  in  his  horse,  and  gazed  at  the  trees. 

"I  don't  see  it,"  he  said.  > 

"They  are  very  difficult  to  see,"  Mr.  Harvey  remarked; 
*'they  have  a  knack  somehow  of  standing  so  as  to  look 
like  a  part  of  the  tree.  I  don't  see  him  myself,  but  if 
Jumbo  says  he  is  there,  you  may  be  sure  he  is.'* 

"Is  the  skin  valuable?"  Dick  asked. 

■  "No,  Dick,  it  would  not  be  worth  cumbering  ourselves 
'with.  Nor  is  the  flesh  very  good  to  eat— I  do  not  say  it 
-cannot  be  eaten,  but  we  have  plenty  of  venison.  I  never 
like  shooting  a  giraffe  when  I  can  help  it.  Clumsy  and 
.awkward  as  they  are,  they  have  wonderfully  soft  and  ex- 
pressive eyes,  and  I  do  not  know  anything  more  piteous 
than  the  look  of  a  dying  giraffe;  however,  if  you  ride  up 
to  the  trees  and  set  them  scampering,  you  will  get  a 
good  laugh,  for  their  run  is  as  awkward  and  clumsy  as 
that  of  any  living  creature." 

Dick  accordingly  started  at  a  gallop  toward  the  trees; 
it  was  not  until  he  was  close  to  them  that  he  saw  three 
.giraffes,  two  old  ones  and  a  young  one,  They  started 
off,  as  he  approached,  at  a  pace  which  seemed  to  Dick  to 
be  slow,  as  well  as  extraordinarily  clumsy.     The  two  old 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  16L 

ones  kept  themselves  between  their  offspring  and  the? 
pursuer,  as  if  to  shield  it  from  a  shot.  Dick,  however, 
had  no  idea  of  firing;  he  only  wished  to  gallop  up  close; 
so  as  to  get  a  nearer  view  of  these  singular  beasts,  but  to 
his  astonishment  he  found  that,  although  his  horse  was 
going  at  its  best  speed,  the  apparently  slow-moving 
giraffes  were  steadily  gaining  upon  him.  He  could 
hardly  at  first  believe  his  eyes.  But  he  was  gradually 
tailed  off,  and  at  last,  reining  in  his  horse,  he  sat  in  the* 
saddle  and  enjoyed  a  good  laugh  at  the  strange  trio  in 
front  of  him,  with  their  long,  straggling  legs  and  necks. 

"When  he  rejoined  the  caravan  Mr.  Harvey,  who  bad 
watched  the  pursuit,  asked  him  laughingly  if  he  managed* 
to  catch  the  giraffe. 

"I  might  as  soon  have  tried  to  catch  an  express  train; 
they  went  right  away  from  me — and  Tommy  can  gallop- 
too;  but  he  hadn't  a  chance  with  them,  although  he  did 
his  best." 

"They  do  move  along  at  a  tremendous  pace  in  their 
clumsy  fashion.  They  take  such  immense  strides  with 
those  odd  long  legs  of  theirs,  that  one  has  no  idea  of: 
their  speed  until  one  chases  them.  I  never  knew  a  new 
hand  who  tried  it,  but  he  was  sure  to  come  back  with  a*' 
crestfallen  face." 

Three  weeks  after  leaving  what  they  called  the  ele- 
phant-camp the  caravan  halted  for  two  days.  They  had 
now  arrived  at  the  spot  where  their  troubles  with  the 
natives  might  be  expected  to  begin;  they  were  at  the 
border  of  the  Matabele  country,  and  here  Mr.  Harvey 
intended  to'turn  west,  and  after  keeping  along  for  some 
time  to  bend  to  the  south  and  re-enter  the  colony  north: 
of  Kimberley,  and  to  journey  down  to  Port  Elizabeth, 
which  is  the  principal  mart  for  goods  from  the  interior. 
Between  the  Matabele  and  the  tribes  on  their  border  hos- 
tilities had  for  some  time   prevailed,  and   while  they 


162  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

.halted  Mr.  Harvey  sent  forward  Blacking  with  a  few 
presents  to  the  chief  of  the  next  tribe,  saying  that  he 
P  was  coming  through  his  country  to  trade,  and  asking  fa* 
-&  promise  that  he  should  not  be  interfered  with  in  his 
passage. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  day  the  messenger  returned. 

"The  chief  says  come;  he  says  he  has  been  a  long  time 
without  trade.  But  before  he  answered  he  talked  with 
his  chiefs,  and  I  don't  know  whether  he  means  honestly, 
i'he  tribe  has  a  bad  name:  they  are  thieves  and  robbers." 

"Well,  we  will  go  on,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "neverthe- 
less; we  have  got  the  chief's  word,  and  he  will  not  after 
that  venture  to  attack  us  openly,  for  if  he  did  he  knows 
•very  well  than  no  more  traders  would  visit  his  country. 
His  people  may  make  attacks  upon  us,  but  we  are  strong 
«nough  to  hold  our  own.  l  We  muster  about  thirty  guns, 
and  in  our  laager  would  be  able  to  beat  off  his  whole 
tribe,  did  they  attack  us;  we  will,  however,  while  travel- 
ing through  his  country,  be  more  careful  than  hitherto. 
The  wagons  shall,  when  it  is  possible,  travel  two  abreast, 
so  that  the  line  will  not  be  so  long  to  guard,  and  you 
jnust  not  wander  away  to  shoot.  Fortunately  we  have  a 
•store  of  driei  meat  which  will  last  us  for  some  time." 

On  the  following  morning  the  caravans  set  out,  and 
after  traveling  twelve  miles  halted  on  the  bank  of  a 
stream.  Soon  after  they  had  formed  their  camp  five  or 
aix  natives  came  in;  they  brought  a  few  bunches  of 
ostrich  plumes  and  some  otter  skins;  these  they  bar- 
tered for  cotton,  and  having  concluded  their  bargains 
wandered  about  in  the  camp,  as  was  the  custom  of  the 
"natives,  peeping  into  the  wagons,  examining  the  bul- 
locks, and  looking  at  all  the  arrangements  with  childish 
curiosity. 

"I  expect  these  fellows  have  come  as  spies  rather  than 
traders,"  Mr.  Harvey  said  to  the  lads.     "As  a  general 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  ,  16$ 

thing  the  natives  come  in  with  their  wives  and  children  ^, 
but,  you  see,  these  are  all  men.  I  observed  too  that  they 
have  particularly  examined  the  pile  of  muskets,  as  if 
reckoning  up  our  means  of  defense.  In  future,  instead 
of  merely  a  couple  of  men  to  look  after  the  cattle  and. 
keep  off  any  marauders,  I  will  put  six  every  night  on 
guard;  they  shall  be  relieved  twice  during  the  night,  and 
one  of  the  hunters  shall  be  in  charge  of  each  watch — if 
there  are  signs  of  trouble,  we  will  ourselves  take  it  by 
turns." 

Two  or  three  times  that  night  the  sentries  perceived 
moving  objects  near  the  camp,  and  challenged;  in  each, 
case  the  objects  at  once  disappeared;  whether  they  were 
hyenas  or  crawling  men  could  not  be  discerned. 

At  the  halt  next  day  a  much  larger  number  of  natives: 
came  in,  and  a  satisfactory  amount  of  trade  was  done. 
Their  demeanor,  however,  was  insolent  and  overbearing,, 
and  some  of  them  went  away  with  their  goods,  declining; 
to  accept  the  exchange  offered.  After  they  had  left  the.' 
camp  several  small  articles  were  missed. 

The  next  day  they  passed  across  a  plain  abounding  ir& 
game,  and  Mr.  Harvey  said  that  the  boys  and  the  three* 
hunters  might  go  out  and  kill  some  fresh  meat;  but  he 
warned  Dick  and  Tom  not  to  allow  their  ardor  in  the 
chase  to  carry  them  away  from  the  hunters,  but  to  keep 
as  much  as  possible  together.  When  they  had  killed  as 
many  animals  as  could  be  carried  on  their  horses  and  the 
hunters'  shoulders,  they  were  to  return  at  once. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  Tom  had  been  out  hunting- 
since  his  accident;  his  bones  had  all  set  well,  and  beyond 
a  little  stiffness  and  occasional  pain  he  was  quite  himself 
again. 

"I  am  glad  to  be  riding  out  again  with"you,  Dick,"  he 
said;  "it  has  been  awfully  slow  work  jogging  along  by 
the  side  of  the  caravan." 


3.Q1  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

In  addition  to  the  three  hunters  they  took  as  usual  a 
native  with  them,  to  hold  the  horses  should  it  be  neces- 
tsary  to  dismount  and  stalk  the  game,  instead  of  chasing 
it  and  shooting  it  from  the  saddles,  an  exercise  in  -which 
"by  this  time  the  boys  were  efficient.  They  found  more 
difficulty  in  getting  up  to  the  game  than  they  had  ex- 
pected, and  the  hunters  said  confidently  that  the  animals 
must  have  been  chased  or  disturbed  within  a  few  hours. 
They  had  accordingly  to  go  four  or  five  miles  across  the 
plain  before  they  could  get  a  shot;  but  at  last  they  saw  a 
herd  feeding  in  a  valley.  After  the  experience  they  had 
Lad  that  morning  of  the  futility  of  attempting  to  get 
near  the  deer  on  horseback,  they  determined  that  the 
hunters  should  make  a  circuit,  and  come  down  upon  the 
herd  from  different  points.  Tom  and  Dick  were  to  stay 
on  the  brow  where  they  were  then  standing,  keeping 
well  back,  so  as  to  be  out  of  sight  from  the  valley,  until 
they  heard  the  report  of  the  first  gun,  when  they  were  to 
:mount  and  endeavor  to  cut  off  and  head  the  deer  back 
upon  the  others.  The  hunters  then  started — Jumbo  and 
Blacking  going  to  the  right,  Tony  and  the  other  to  the 
left. 

After  an  hour's  walking  they  reached  their  places  at 
points  about  equidistant  from  each  other,  forming  with 
Tom  and  Dick  a  complete  circle  round  the  deer.  They 
were  enabled  to  keep  each  other  in  sight,  although 
hidden  from  the  herd  in  the  hollow.  When  each  had 
gained  his  station  they  lay  down  and  began  to  crawl 
toward  the  deer,  and  until  they  were  within  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  of  the  herd  the  latter  continued  grazing 
quietly.  Then  an  old  buck  gave  a  short,  sharp  cry,  and 
struck  the  ground  violently  with  his  hoofs;  the  others  all 
ceased  feeding,  and  gazed  with  startled  eyes  to  windward, 
&nd  were  about  to  dash  off  in  a  body  when  the  four  men 
^fired  almost  simultaneously,  and  as  many  stags  fell.    The 


"  iiiift  ii     111  i 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  165 

Test  darted  off  at  full  speed  in  the  direction  in  which 
Tom  and  Dick  were  posted,  that  being  the  only  side 
open  to  them.  An  instant  later  Tom  and  Dick  appeared 
on  horseback  on  the  brow,  and  dashed  down  toward  the 
herd;  these,  alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  a  fresh  enemy, 
broke  into  two  bodies,  scattering  right  and  left,  giving 
both  lads  an  opportunity  for  a  good  shot.  Both  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  down  their  mark.  They  then  dis- 
mounted, and  giving  their  horses  to  the  native  joined 
the  hunters.  They  had  bagged  six  deer,  and  the  hunters 
at  once  proceeded  to  disembowel  them;  one  was  to  be 
slung  behind  each  of  the  saddles,  and  the  others  would 
foe  carried  by  the  hunters  and  native. 

While  they  were  so  engaged  they  were  startled  by  a 
shout,  and  saw  the  native  running  down  toward  them, 
leading  the  horses  and  gesticulating  wildly. 

"We  are  attacked,"  Blacking  said,  and  almost  at  the 
same  moment  three  or  four  arrows  fell  among  them. 

They  had  collected  the  dead  deer  at  one  spot,  and  were 
standing  in  a  group;  looking  round  they  saw  a  large 
number  of  natives  crowning  the  low  hills  all  round  them, 
and  saw  that  while  they  had  been  stalking  the  deer  they 
themselves  had  been  stalked  by  the  natives.  Without  a 
moment's  hesitation  the  hunters  disposed  the  bodies  of 
the  deer  in  a  circle;  seizing  the  two  horses  they  threw 
them  beside  the  deer,  fastening  their  limbs  with  the 
lassoes  which  they  carried,  so  that  they  could  not  move; 
then  the  six  men  threw  themselves  down  in  the  circle. 

All  this  had  been  done  in  a  couple  of  minutes.  The 
arrows  were  falling  fast  among  them,  but  none  had  been 
hit,  and  as  soon  as  the  preparations  were  complete  they 
opened  a  steady  fire  at  the  enemy.  With  the  exception  of 
the  man  who  had  come  out  with  the  horses  all  were  good 
shots,  and  their  steady  fire  at  once  checked  the  advance 
of  the  natives,  whose  triumphant  yelling  ceased,  as  man 


166  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

after  man  went  down,  and  they  speedily  followed  the 
example  of  their  opponents,  and,  throwing  themselves; 
$own  on  the  grass,  kept  up  a  fire  with  their  arrows  in  a 
circle  of  seventy  or  eighty  yards  round  the  hunters. 

Gradually,  however,  their  fire  ceased,  for  to  use  their 
bows  they  were  obliged  to  show  their  heads  above  the 
grass,  and  whenever  one  did  so  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle 
was  heard;  and  so  often  did  the  bullets  fly  true  to  their 
aim  that  the  natives  soon  grew  chary  of  exposing  them- 
selves. 

"What  will  they  do  now?"  Dick  asked,  as  the  firing- 
ceased. 

"They  are  cowards,"  Jumbo  said  contemptuously. 
"If  they  had  been  Zulus,  or  Swazis,  or  Matabele,  they 
would  have  rushed  in  upon  us,  and  finished  it  at  once." 

"Well,  I  am  very  glad  they  are  not,"  Dick  said;  "but 
what  is  to  be  done?" 

"They  will  wait  for  night,"  Tony  answered;  "then 
when  we  cannot  see  them,  they  will  creep  up  close  and 
charge." 

"In  that  case,"  Dick  said,  "the  best  thing  will  be  for 
us  to  keep  in  a  body,  and  fight  our  way  through  them,, 
and  make  for  the  camp." 

Jumbo  shook  his  head. 

"They  quiet  now  because  they  think  they  got  us  safe; 
if  we  try  to  get  away,  they  rush  down  upon  us;  we  shoot 
many,  but  we  all  get  killed." 

"Then,"  Dick  said,  "the  best  thing  will  be  for  me  to 
jump  on  my  horse  and  ride  straight  through  them;  if  1 
get  off  alive,  I  will  make  for  the  caravan  and  bring  back 
Mr.  Harvey  and  the  rest  to  your  assistance." 

"No  good,"  Blacking  said;  "your  horse  would  be 
stuck  full  of  arrows  before  you  get  away;  he  drop  dead; 
they  kill  you.     I  go." 

"But  it  would  be  just  as  dangerous  for  you  as  fo*  me* 
Blacking." 


THE  YOUNQ  COLONISTS.  167 

"No,"  the  hunter  said;  "directly  you  stand  up  to  get 
on  horse  they  see  you  and  get  ready  to  shoot;  the  horse 
fall  dead  before  he  reach  them.  I  will  crawl  through  the 
grass;  they  will  not  see  me  till  I  get  to  them — perhaps  I 
get  through  without  them  seeing  at  all;  if  not,  I  jump 
up  sudden  and  run;  they  all  surprised,  no  shoot  straight; 
once  through  line  they  never  catch  me." 

Jumbo  and  Tony  assented  with  a  grunt,  and  Dick,  see- 
ing that  no  better  plan  could  be  suggested,  offered  no 
•opposition  to  the  young  hunter  undertaking  the  task. 

Leaving  his  gun  and  ammunition  behind  him,  the 
black  at  once  without  a  word  crawled  out  between  the 
carcasses  of  the  deer,  making  his  way,  like  a  snake,  per- 
fectly flat  on  his  stomach,  and  soon  it  was  only  by  a  very 
slight  movement  of  the  grass,  which  was  nearly  two  feet 
high,  that  Dick  could  follow  his  progress.  But  he  could 
not  do  this  for  long,  an  arrow  whizzing  close  to  his  head 
warned  him  that  he  was  exposing  himself,  and  he  lay 
down  behind  his  stag  and  listened  with  intense  eagerness 
for  the  outcry  which  would  arise  when  Blacking  was  dis- 
covered. 

It  seemed  a  long  time,  so  slow  and  cautious  was  the 
black's  advance.  At  last  there  was  a  sudden  yell,  and 
the  little  party,  sure  that  the  attention  of  their  assail- 
ants would  for  the  moment  vbe  diverted,  raised  their 
heads  from  the  shelter  and  looked  out.  They  saw  Black- 
ing bounding  at  full  speed  up  the  slope;  a  score  of 
natives  had  sprung  to  their  feet,  and  were  discharging 
their  arrows  in  the  direction  of  the  fugitive,  who  zig- 
zagged, as  he  ran  with  rapid  bounds,  to  unsteady  and 
divert  their  aim.  One  arrow  struck  him  in  the  side; 
they  saw  him  break  off  the  feather-head,  pull  it  through 
the  wound,  and  throw  it  away  without  a  moment's  pause1 
in  his  flight. 

"Is  it  a  serious  wound?"  Tom  asked  eagerly. 


168  *  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Jumbo  shook  his  head. 

"Not  kill  him,"  he  said;  "too  near  skin." 

By  this  time  Blacking's  pursuers  had  thrown  their 
bows  across  their  shoulders,  and  grasping  their  assegais 
bad  started  in  pursuit. 

"They  no  catch  him,"  Tony  said  confidently;  "Black- 
ing clever  man;  he  not  run  too  fast;  let  them  keep  close 
behind  him;  they  think  they  catch  him,  and  keep  on 
Tunning  all  the  way  to  camp.  People  here  watch,  not 
tink  to  attack  us;  then  they  wait  again  for  the  oders  to 
come  back;  half  of  dem  gone,  a  good  many  killed,  they 
not  like  to  attack  us  now." 

"What  do  you  say,  Tony? — shall  we  get  up  and  follow 
in  a  body  slowly?" 

"That  would  be  good  plan,"  Tony  said,  "if  sure  no 
more  black  men  come;  but  if  others  come  and  join  dem,. 
dey  attack  us  out  on  plain,  we  got  no  stags  to  lie  behind. 
Dey  fight  hard  'cause  they  know  that  Blacking  have  got. 
away,  and  that  help  come;  make  bad  affair  of  it;  better- 
stop  here." 

Presently  two  or  three  of  the  natives  were  seen  com- 
ing back  over  the  brow,  having  given  up  the  pursuit.. 
Dick's  rifle  was  a  good  one,  and  the  brow  was  not  more 
than  four  hundred  yards  away;  he  took  a  steady  aim  and 
fired,  and  one  of  the  natives  fell.  A  yell  of  astonish- 
ment broke  from  the  others,  and  they  threw  themselves? 
instantly  on  the  grass.  This,  however,  although  long 
enough  to  shelter  them  in  the  bottom,  was  shorter  and 
scantier  on  the  slope.  The  inclined  position  too  enabled 
Dick  to  see  them,  and  he  again  fired.  He  could  not  see 
where  the  ball  struck,  but  it  must  have  been  close  to  the 
two  natives^  for  these  leaped  to  their  feet  and  bounded 
back  again  over  the  brow. 

"That  was  a  capital  shot  of  yours,  Dick,"  Tom  said. 
"I  will  try  next  time.     Our  rifles  will  carry  easily  enough 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  169 

as  far  as  that,  although  the  hunters'  won't.  If  we  can 
but  prevent  any  of  these  fellows  who  have  gone  after 
Blacking  from  coming  down  and  rejoining  those  round 
ns,  we  are  safe  enough,  for  if  they  did  not  dare  to  make 
a  rush  when  there  were  about  sixty  of  them  they  will  not 
try  now  when  there  are  not  half  that  number." 

An  hour  later  a  party  of  some  ten  or  twelve  natives 
appeared  again  on  the  brow.  Dick  and  Tom  at  once 
fired.  One  of  them  fell,  and  the  rest  again  retired  be- 
hind the  brow,  shouting  something  to  those  below,  which 
Tony  at  once  translated  that  Blacking  had  got  away. 
The  news,  added  to  the  effect  of  the  fall  of  their  com- 
rades on  the  height,  dispirited  the  natives  below,  and 
one  or  two  were  to  be  seen  stealing  up  the  slopes. 

Dick  and  Tom  were  on  the  alert,  and  one  of  the 
natives  fell  with  a  broken  leg;  this  completed  the  uneasi- 
ness of  the  party  below.  Creeping  away  from  the  deadly 
rifles  to  the  foot  of  the  slope,  they  suddenly  rose  and 
bounded  up  it.  A  general  volley  was  fired  by  the  be* 
leaguered  party,  and  two  more  natives  fell;  the  rest 
dashed  up  the  slope,  two  of  them  on  the  way  lifting  and 
carrying  off  their  wounded  comrades. 

"We  all  right  now,"  Jumbo  said;  "dey  no  attack  us 
here  any  more;  like  enough  dey  wait  and  lie  in  ambush 
in  grass,  in  case  we  move  away;  but  we  not  do  that;  we 
sit  here  quietly  till  the  caravan  arrive." 

"Do  you  think  Mr.  Harvey  will  bring  the  whole  cara- 
van?" 

"Sure  to  do  dat,"  Jumbo  said.  "He  no  able  to  leave 
party  to  protect  the  wagons  and  to  send  party  here  to  us; 
he  bring  the  caravan  all  along  together.  If  he  attacked, 
he  make  laager;  but  me  no  tink  dey  attack.  The  people 
ready  to  cut  off  little  party;  den  the  chief  say  he  not 
responsible,  but  if  his  people  attack  the  caravan  dat  dif- 
ferent thing." 


170  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

The  hours  passed  slowly;  the  heat  in  the  bottom,  as 
the  sun,  almost  overhead,  poured  its  rays  down  into  it, 
■was  very  great.  As  the  hours  passed  on  the  heat  became 
less  oppressive,  but  it  was  with  intense  pleasure  that  the 
boys  saw  Mr.  Harvey  suddenly  appear  on  the  brow,  and 
checking  his  horse  gaze  into  the  valley. 

They  leaped  to  their  feet  and  gave  a  shout,  which  was 
answered  by  Mr.  Harvey. 

"Are  they  round  you  still?"  he  shouted. 

"No;  they  have  all  gone,"  Dick  replied;  and  Mr. 
Harvey  at  once  rode  down. 

By  the  time  he  reached  them  the  hunters  had  freed 
the  legs  of  the  horses,  and  these  struggled  to  their  feet. 

"You  have  given  me  a  nice  fright,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,, 
as  he  rode  up. 

"We  have  had  a  pretty  good  fright  ourselves,"  Dick 
replied.  "If  it  had  not  been  for  Blacking  pluckily  get- 
ting through  them  to  take  you  the  news,  I  don't  think 
we  should  have  seen  daylight.     Is  he  much  hurt,  sir?" 

"He  has  got  a  nasty  wound,"  Mr.  Harvey  replied. 
"An  arrow  has  gone  between  his  ribs.  He  fell  down 
from  loss  of  blood  when  he  reached  us,  and  had  we  gone 
much  further  he  would  have  been  overtaken.  They 
were  close  upon  his  heels  when  he  got  in.  Fortunately 
I  halted  the  caravan  soon  after  you  started;  when  I  saw 
the  herds  making  way  I  thought  it  better  to  wait  till  you 
rejoined  us.  It  was  well  I  did  so;  we  noticed  him  a 
couple  of  miles  away,  and  when  we  saw  he  was  pursued  I 
went  out  with  six  men  and  met  him  half  a  mile  from  the 
caravan.  He  had  just  strength  left  to  tell  us  what  had 
happened.  Then  we  went  back  to  the  caravan,  and 
moved  out  toward  you.  "We  were  obliged  to  come 
slowly,  for  there  are  a  good  many  natives  out  on  the 
plains,  and  twice  they  looked  so  threatening  that  I  had 
to  laager  and  treat  them  to  a  few  distant  shots.    They 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  171 

evidently  did  not  like  the  range  of  my  rifle,  and  so  I 
have  come  on  without  any  serious  fighting.  I  have  been 
in  a  great  fright  about  you;  but  Blacking,  when  he  re- 
covered from  his  faint,  told  me  that  he  thought  you  were 
safe  for  awhile,  as  nearly  half  the  party  which  had  been 
attacking  you  had  followed  him,  and  that  you  had  already 
killed  so  many  that  he  thought  they  would  not  venture  to 
attack  before  nightfall.  Now,  you  had  better  come  up 
to  the  wagons  at  once;  you  can  tell  me  all  about  it  after- 
ward." 

The  deer  which  had  formed  such  useful  shelter  were 
now  lifted,  and  in  a  qarter  of  an  hour  the  party  reached 
the  wagons  without  molestation.  A  vigilant  watch  was 
Jsept  all  night,  but  no  alarm  was  given. 

In  the  morning  Mr.  Harvey  rode  down  with  the  lads 
and  the  hunters  into  the  valley.  Except  that  here  and 
there  were  deep  blood-stains,  no  signs  of  the  con- 
flict remained,  the  natives  having  carried  off  their  dead 
in  the  course  of  the  night.  The  hunters,  after  examin- 
ing the  ground,  declared  that  fifteen  of  the  enemy  had 
fallen,  including  those  shot  on  the  slopes.  The  journey 
was  now  resumed. 

At  the  next  halt  the  natives  came  in  to  trade  as  usual, 
and  when  questioned  professed  entire  ignorance  of  the 
attack  on  the  hunters. 

Three  days  later,  without  further  adventure,  they  ar- 
rived at  the  kraal  of  the  principal  chief.  It  was  a  large 
village,  and  a  great  number  of  cattle  were  grazing  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  natives  had  a  sullen  appearance, 
but  exhibited  no  active  hostility.  Mr.  Harvey  formed 
his  wagons  in  a  laager  a  few  hundred  yards  outside  the 
■village,  and  then,  accompanied  by  the  boys,  proceeded  to 
the  chief's  abode.  They  were  at  once  conducted  to  his 
presence.  He  was  seated  in  a  hut  of  beehive  form,  rather 
larger  than  those  which  surrounded  it.     When  the  white 


172  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

men  crawled  in  through  the  door,  which  like  all  in  native 
structures  was  not  more  than  three  feet  high,  they  were 
at  first  unable  to  see,  so  dark  was  the'  interior.  The 
chief  uttered  the  usual  words  of  welcome. 

"I  have  a  complaint  to  make,  chief,"  Mr.  Harvey  said, 
"against  some  of  your  people.  They  attacked  my  two 
friends  and  some  of  my  followers  when  out  hunting. 
Fortunately  they  were  repulsed,  with  the  loss  of  some 
fifteen  of  their  number,  but  that  does  not  make  the 
attack  upon  them  any  the  less  inexcusable." 

"That  is  bad,"  the  chief  said;  "how  does  my  friend, 
the  white  trader,  know  that  they  were  my  men?" 

"They  were  inside  your  territory  anyhow,"  Mr. 
Harvey  said.  "It  was  upon  the  third  day  after  I  had 
left  the  Matabele." 

"It  must  have  been  a  party  of  Matabele,"  the  chief 
said;  "they  often  come  into  my  territory  to  steal  cattle; 
they  are  bad  men — my  people  are  very  good." 

"I  can't  prove  that  hey  were  your  people,"  Mr. 
Harvey  said,  "whatever  I  may  think;  but  I  warn  you, 
chief,  that  if  there  is  any  repetition  of  the  attack  while 
we  are  in  your  country  you  will  have  no  more  'traders 
here.  Those  who  attacked  us  have  learned  that  nq  can 
defend  ourselves,  and  that  they  are  more  likelj  to  get 
death  than  plunder  out  of  the  attempt." 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  173 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TEAPPED  IK   A   DEFILE. 

"What  do  you  think  of  affairs?"  Dick  asked  Mr. 
Harvey,  as,  on  leaving  the  chief's  hut,  they  walked  back 
to  their  wagons. 

"For  the  moment  I  think  we  are  perfectly  safe;  the 
chief  would  not  venture  to  attack  us  while  we  are  in  his 
village.  In  the  first  place  it  would  put  a  stop  to  all  trade, 
and  in  the  second,  far  as  we  are  from  the  frontier,  he 
would  not  feel  safe  were  a  massacre  to  take  place  in  his 
village.  He  knows  well  enough  that  were  a  dozen  white 
men  to  come  out  to  avenge  such  a  deed,  with  a  few 
wagon-loads  of  goods  to  offer  to  his  neighbors  as  pay  for 
their  assistance,  he  and  his  tribe  would  be  exterminated. 
When  we  are  once  on  our  way  again  we  must  beware. 
The  feeling  among  the  tribe  at  the  loss  they  have  sus- 
tained must  be  very  bitter,  although  they  may  repress 
all  outward  exhibition  of  it  to  us,  and  if  they  attack  us 
just  as  we  are  on  the  line  between  their  land  and  their 
neighbor's  they  can  deny  all  knowledge  of  it.  However, 
they  shall  not  catch  us  asleep." 

"I  see  the  men  have  put  the  wagons  in  laager,"  Tom 
said. 

"Yes,  I  told  them  to  do  so,"  Mr.  Harvey  answered; 
"it  is  the  custom  always  with  traders  traveling  north  of 
the  Limpopo,  and  therefore  will  not  be  taken  as  a  sign  of 
suspicion  of  their  good  faith.  A  fair  index  to  us  of  their 
disposition  will  be  the  amount  of  trade/    If  they  bring 


174  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

their  goods  freely  we  may  assume  that  there  is  no  fixed 
intention  of  attacking  us;  for  if  they  are  determined  to 
seize  our  goods  those  who  have  articles  to  trade  would 
not  care  to  part  with  them,  when  they  would  hope  to 
obtain  a  share  of  our  goods  for  nothing." 

The  next  morning  Mr.  Harvey  spread  out  a  few  of  his 
goods,  but  hardly  any  of  the  natives  came  forward  with 
articles  for  barter.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Harvey  went 
across  to  the  chief. 

"How  is  it,"  he  asked,  "that  your  people  do  not  bring 
in  their  goods  for  sale?  Among  the  tribes  through  which 
I  have  passed  I  have  done  much  trade;  they  see  that  I 
give  good  bargains — your  people  bring  nothing.  If  they 
do  not  wish  to  trade  with  the  white  men,  let  them  say  so, 
and  I  will  tell  my  brethren  that  it  is  of  no  use  to  bring 
their  wagons  so  far." 

"My  people  are  very  poor,"  the  chief  said;  "they 
have  been  at  war  with  their  neighbors,  and  have  had  no 
time  to  hunt  the  ostrich  or  to  get  skins." 

"They  cannot  have  been  fighting  all  the  time,"  Mr. 
Harvey  rejoined;  "they  must  have  taken  furs  and  skins 
— it  is  clear  that  they  do  not  wish  to  trade.  To-morrow 
morning  I  will  go  on  my  way;  there  are  many  other 
tribes  who  will  be  glad  at  the  coming  of  the  white 
trader." 

After  Mr.  Harvey's  return  to  the  wagons,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  orders  had  been  issued  that  some  trade  should 
be  done,  for  several  parcels  of  inferior  kinds  of  ostrich 
feathers  and  skins  were  brought  in.  As  it  was  clear,, 
however,  that  no  genuine  trade  was  to  be  done,  at  day- 
break the  oxen  were  inspanned,  and  the  caravan  con- 
tinued its  journey. 

For  the  next  two  days  the  track  lay  across  an  open 
country  and  no  signs  of  molestation  were  met  with. 

"We  are  now  coming,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,   "to  the 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  175 

rery  worst  part  of  our  journey.  The  hills  we  have  seen 
in  front  of  us  for  the  last  two  days  have  to  be  crossed. 
To-morrow  we  ascend  the  lower  slopes,  which  are  toler- 
ably easy;  but  the  next  day  we  have  to  pass  through  a 
very  wild  gorge.  The  road,  which  is  the  bed  of  a  stream, 
mounts  rapidly;  but  the  ravine  is  nearly  ten  miles  in 
length.  Once  at  its  head  we  are  near  the  highest  point 
of  the  shoulder  over  which  we  have  to  cross,  and  the 
descent  on  the  other  side  is  comparatively  easy.  If  I 
could  avoid  this  spot,  I  would  do  so;  but  I  know  of  no 
other  road  by  which  wagons  could  cross  the  range  for  a 
very  long  distance  either  way;  this  is  the  one  always  used 
by  traders.  In  the  wet  season  it  is  altogether  impassa- 
ble, for  in  some  places  the  ravine  narrows  to  fifteen 
yards,  with  perpendicular  cliffs  on  either  side,  and  at 
fchese  points  the  river,  when  in  flood,  rushes  down  twenty 
or  thirty  feet  deep.  Even  putting  aside  the  danger  of 
attack  in  going  through  it,  I  would  gladly  avoid  it  if  I 
could,  for  the  weather  is  breaking;  we  have  already  had 
some  showers,  and  may  get  heavy  thunderstorms  and  a 
tremendous  downfall  of  rain  any  day. 

The  next  day  the  journey  was  an  arduous  one;  the 
ground  was  rough  and  broken,  and  the  valley  up  which 
the  road  lay  was  frequently  thickly  strewn  with  bowlders, 
which  showed  the  force  with  which  the  water  in  flood- 
time  rushed  down  over  what  was  now  its  empty  bed. 

After  a  long  day's  work  the  caravan  halted  for  the 
night  at  the  spot  where  the  valley  narrowed  to  the  ravine. 

"It  has  been  a  pretty  hard  day's  work  to-day,"  Tom 
said. 

"It  is  nothing  to  to-morrow's,  as  you  will  see,"  Mr. 
Harvey  replied.  "Traders  consider  this  defile  to  be  the 
very  hardest  passage  anywhere  in  South  Africa,  and 
there  are  plenty  of  other  bad  bits  too.  In  many  cases 
jou  will  see  we  shall  have  to  unload  the  wagons,  and  it 


176  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

will  be  all  that  a  double  team  can  do  to  pull  them  up 
empty.  Sometimes,  of  course,  the  defile  is  easier  than  at 
others;  it  depends  much  upon  the  action  of  the  lasf; 
floods.  In  some  years  rocks  'and  bowlders  have  beeu 
jammed  so  thickly  in  the  narrow  parts  that  the  defile 
has  been  absolutely  impassable;  the  following  year,  per- 
haps, the  obstruction  has  been  swept  away,  or  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  leveled  by  the  spaces  between  the  rocks  being 
filled  up  with  small  stones  and  sand.  How  it  is  this  sea- 
son, I  do  not  know;  up  to  the  time  we  left  I  had  heard 
of  no  trader  having  passed  along  this  way.  I  have 
spoken  of  it  as  a  day's  journey,  but  it  is  only  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances  that  it  has  ever  been  ac- 
complished in  that  time,  and  sometimes  traders  have 
been  three  or  fom  days  in  getting  through." 

Directly  the  caravan  halted  Blacking  and  Jumbo, 
started  to  exam.ne  the  defile;  it  was  already  growing- . 
dusk,  and  they  were  only  able  to  get  two  miles  up  before 
it  was  so  dark  that  they  could  make  their  way  no  fur- 
ther. They  returned,  saying  that  the  first  portion  of  the 
defile,  which  was  usually  one  of  the  most  difficult,  was  in 
a  bad  condition;  that  many  enormous  bowlders  were  lying 
in  the  bottom;  but  that  it  appeared  to  be  practicable, 
although  in  some  places  the  wagons  would  have  to  be 
unloaded. 

At  daybreak  the  oxen  were  inspanned,  and  in  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour  the  leading  wagon  approached  the  entrance 
of  the  gorge;  it  seemed  cut  through  a  perpendicular  cliff 
two  hundred  feet  high,  the  gorge  through  which  the 
river  issued  appearing  a  mere  narrow  crack  rent  by  some 
convulsion  of  nature. 

"It  would  be  a  fearful  place  to  be  attacked  in,"  Dick 
said,  "and  a  few  men  with  rocks  up  above  could  destroy 
ns." 

"Yes,"  Mr.  Harvey  said;  "but  you  see  up  there?" 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  1*7 

Dick  looked  up,  and  on  one  side  of  the  passage  saw 
aome  tiny  figures. 

"The  three  hunters  and  ten  of  our  men  with  muskets 
are  up  there;  they  started  three  hours  ago,  "as  they 
would  have  to  go,  Jumbo  said,  five  miles  along  the  face 
of  the  cliff  before  they  reached  a  point  where  they  could 
make  an  ascent  so  as  to  gain  the  edge  of  the  ravine. 
They  will  keep  along  parallel  with  us,  and  their  fire 
would  clear  both  sides;  it  is  not  usual  to  take  any  pre- 
caution of  this  sort,  but  after  our  attack  of  the  other 
day,  and  the  attitude  of  the  chief  and  his  people,  we 
cannot  be  too  cautious.  After  passing  through  the  first 
three  miles  of  the  defile,  the  ravine  widens  into  a  valley 
a  hundred  yards  wide;  here  they  will  come  down  and 
join  us.  There  are  two  other  ravines,  similar  to  the  first 
to  be  passed  through,  but  the  country  there  is  so  wild 
and  broken  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to  keep 
along  on  the  heights,  and  I  doubt  whether  even  the 
natives  could  find  a  point  from  which  to  attack  us." 

They  had  now  fairly  entered  the  ravine.  For  thirty  or 
iorty  feet  up  the  walls  were  smooth  and  polished  by  the 
action  of  the  winter  torrents;  above,  jagged  rocks  over- 
hung the  path,  and  at  some  points  the  cliffs  nearly  met 
overhead.  Although  it  was  now  almost  broad  daylight, 
in  the  depths  of  this  ravine  the  light  was  dim  and 
obscure. 

The  boys  at  first  were  awestruck  at  the  scene,  but  their 
attention  was  soon  called  to  the  difficulties  of  the  pass. 
The  bed  of  the  stream  was  covered  with  rocks  of  all 
sizes;  sometimes  great  bowlders,  as  big  as  a  good-sized 
cottage,  almost  entirely  blocked  the  way,  and  would 
have  done  so  altogether  had  not  the  small  bowlders  round 
them  formed  slopes  on  either  side.  The  depths  of  the 
ravine  echoed  and  re-echoed,  with  a  noise  like  thunder, 
the  shout  of  the  driver  and  the  crack  of  the  whip,  as  the 


178  THE  YOUNG  C0L0N18TS. 

oxen  struggled  on.  The  wagons  bumped  and  lurched 
along  over  the  stones;  the  natives  and  whites  all  worked 
their  hardest,  clearing  away  the  blocks  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  track  required  for  the  wagons.  Armed  with 
long  wooden  levers  four  or  six  together  prized  away  the 
heavy  bowlders,  or  when  these  were  too  massive  to  be 
moved  by  their  strength,  and  when  no  other  path  could 
be  chosen,  piled  a  number  of  smaller  blocks,  so  as  to 
make  a  sort  of  ascent  up  which  the  wheels  could  travel. 
The  wagons  moved  but  one  at  a  time,  the  united  efforts, 
of  the  whole  party  being  required  to  enable  them  to  get 
along.  When  the  leading  wagon  had  moved  forward  a 
hundred  yards  the  next  in  succession  would  be  brought 
up,  and  so  on  until  the  six  wagons  were  again  in  line; 
then  all  hands  would  set  to  work  ahead,  and  prepare  the 
path  for  another  hundred  yards. 

In  two  places,  however,  no  efforts  sufficed  to  clear  the 
way;  the  blocks  rose  in  such  jagged  masses  that  it  was 
absolutely  impossible  for  the  oxen  to  pull  across  them — > 
indeed  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  when  un- 
yoked they  were  one  by  one  got  over;  then  tackles  were 
fastened  from  the  top  of  the  rock  to  the  wagons  below — 
ropes  and  blocks  being  generally  carried  by  travelers  for 
such  emergencies — the  oxen  fastened  to  the  ends  of  the 
ropes,  and  with  the  purchase  so  obtained  the  wagons 
were  dragged  bodily  one  by  one  over  the  obstacles. 

It  was  not  until  late  in  the  afternoon  that  the  party 
passed  safely  through  the  defile  and  reached  the  valley 
beyond,  men  and  animals  worn  out  by  the  exertions  they 
had  undergone. 

The  day  had  not  passed  without  excitement,  for  when 
they  were  engaged  at  the  most  difficult  point  of  the  jour- 
ney the  crack  of  rifles  was  heard  far  overhead,  and  for 
half  an  hour  a  steady  fire  was  kept  up  there.  Those  be- 
low were  of  course  wholly  ignorant  of  what  was  passing 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  179 

there,  and  for  some  time  they  suffered  considerable 
anxiety;  for  if  their  guard  above  had  been  overpowered 
they  must  have  been  destroyed  by  rocks  cast  down  by 
their  foes. 

At  the  end  of  half  an  hour  the  firing  ceased;  but  it 
was  not  until  they  camped  for  the  night  in  the  valley 
bejond  the  gorge  that  they  learned  from  the  hunters, 
who  joined  them  there,  what  had  happened.  There 
ware,  Jumbo  explained,  three  or  four  hundred  natives,, 
but  fortunately  these  approached  from  the  opposite  sido 
of  the  gorge;  consequently  the  little  party  of  defenders 
was  in  no  danger  of  attack.  The  enemy  had  been  dis- 
concerted when  they  first  opened  fire,  but  had  then 
pressed  forward  to  get  to  the  edge  of  the  ravine.  The. 
superior  weapons  of  the  defenders  had,  however, 
checked  them,  and  finding  that  there  was  no  possibility 
of  coming  to  close  quarters  with  the  little  band,  they 
had,  after  losing  several  of  their  number,  abandoned  the 
attempt  and  fallen  back. 

Soon  after  nightfall  they  were  startled  by  a  heavy 
crashing  sound,  and  great  rocks  came  bounding  down 
the  sides  of  the  valley.  The  cattle  and  wagons  were  at 
once  moved  to  the  center  of  the  watercourse,  and  here 
they  were  safe,  for  the  bottom  of  the  valley  was  so 
thickly  strewn  with  great  bowlders  that,  tremendous  as- 
was  the  force  with  which  the  rocks  loosened  far  above 
came  bounding  down,  these  were  either  arrested  or 
shivered  into  fragments  by  the  obstacles  before  they 
reached  the  center  of  the  valley. 

No  reply  to  this  bombardment  of  the  position  was  at- 
tempted. The  enemy  were  invisible,  and  there  was  no 
clew  to  their  position  far  up  on  the  hillside.  So  long  as 
the  rolling  down  of  the  rocks  was  continued,  it  was  cer- 
tain that  no  attack  at  close  quarters  was  intended;  con- 
sequently, after  posting  four  sentries  to  arouse  them  in 


180  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

case  of  need,  the  rest  of  the  party,  picking  out  the  soft- 
est pieces  of  ground  they  could  find  between  the  stones, 
lay  down  to  rest. 

Before  doing  so,  however,  Mr.  Harvey  hah  a  consulta- 
tion with  the  hunters.  They  said  that  the  next  narrow 
ravine  was  broken  by  several  lateral  defiles  of  similar 
character,  which  came  down  into  it,  and  that  it  would 
therefore  be  quite  impossible  to  keep  along  the  top; 
whether  there  were  any  points  at  which  the  enemy  could 
take  post  and  assail  them  from  above,  they  knew  not. 

There  was,  then,  nothing  to  do  but  to  push  steadily 
on,  and  early  next  morning  they  resumed  their  way.  On 
the  preceding  day  a  slight  shower  of  rain  had  fallen,  but 
this  had  been  insufficient  to  increase  notably  the  waters 
of  the  streamlet  which  trickled  down  among  the  rocks, 
for  the  most  part  hidden  from  view.  The  hunters  were 
of  opinion  that  heavier  storms  were  at  hand,  and  Mr. 
Harvey  agreed  with  them  in  the  belief. 

"We  are  in  a  very  nasty  position,  boys,"  he  said,  "and 
I  wish  now  that  I  had  turned  south,  and  made  my  way 
down  to  the  Limpopo  again,  and  kept  along  its  banks 
until  past  this  mountain-range;  it  would  have  meant  a 
loss  of  two  months'  time,  and  the  country  which  we  shall 
reach  wh.en  we  get  through  this  defile  is  a  very  giod  one 
for  trade.  Still,  I  am  sorry  now  that  I  did  not  adopt 
that  plan;  for,  what  with  the  natives  and  the  torrent, 
our  position  is  an  extremely  serious  one;  however,  there 
is  nothing  for  it  but  to  push  on  now.  We  have  passed 
one  out  of  the  three  gorges,  and  even  if  the  other  two 
are  in  as  bad  a  condition  as  the  one  we  came  up  yester- 
day, two  more  days'  labor  will  see  us  through  it." 

As  the  caravan  moved  along  the  valley  the  yells  of  the 
natives,  high  up  on  the  slopes,  rose  loud  and  menacing. 
They  must  have  been  disgusted  at  seeing  that  the  labor 
upon  which  they  had  been  engaged  the  whole  night,  of 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  181 

loosening  and  setting  in  motion  the  rocks,  had  been 
entirely  thrown  away,  for  they  could  see  that  the  wagons 
and  teams  were  wholly  uninjured. 

As  the  caravan  reached  the  point  where  the  Valley 
narrowed  again,  a  mile  above  the  halting-place,  they  began 
to  descend  the  slopes,  as  if  they  meditated  an  attack,  and 
the  rifles  of  the  whites  and  the  three  hunters  opened  fire, 
upon  them  and  checked  those  on  the  bare  sides  of  tho 
hill.  Many,  however,  went  further  down,  and  descend- 
ing into  the  valley  crept  up  under  the  shelter  of  the 
stones  and  bowlders,  and  as  soon  as  they  came  within 
range  opened  fire  with  their  bows  and  arrows.  By  this 
time,  however,  the  wagons  were  entering  the  ravine, 
which,  although  at  its  entrance  less  abrupt  and  perpen- 
dicular than  that  below,  soon  assumed  a  precisely  simi- 
lar character. 

Once  well  within  its  shelter  Mr.  Harvey  posted  Dick; 
with  the  three  hunters  and  four  of  the  other  natives  to 
defend  the  rear.  This  was  a  matter  of  little  difficulty-, 
Two  or  three  hundred  yards  up  the  ravine  a  barrier,, 
similar  to  those  met  with  on  the  previous  day,  was  en- 
countered, and  the  wagons  had  to  be  dragged  up  by' 
ropes,  an  operation  which  took  upward  of  three  hours. 

While  the  passage  was  being  effected  Dick  with  his. 
party  had  remained  near  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,  and. 
had  been  busy  with  the  enemy  who  pressed  them;  but 
after  the  last  wagon  had  safely  crossed  the  barrier  they 
took  their  station  at  this  point,  which  they  could  have 
held  against  any  number  of  enemies. 

The  caravan  proceeded  on  its  way,  men  and  animals 
laboring  to  the  utmost;  when,  at  a  point  where  the  sides 
of  rock  seemed  nearly  to  close  above  them,  a  narrow  line 
of  sky  only  being  visible,  a  great  rock  came  crushing  and 
leaping  down,  bounding  from  side  to  side  with  a  tremen- 
dous uproar,  and  bringing  down  with  it  a  shower  of 


182  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS* 

smaller  rocks,  which  it  had  dislodged  in  its  course.  The 
bottom  of  the  ravine  was  here  about  twelve  yards  wide, 
•and  happened  to  be  unusually  level.  The  great  rock, 
which  must  have  weighed  half  a  ton,  fell  on  one  side  of 
the  leading  wagon  and  burst  into  fragments  which  flew 
in  all  directions.  Fortunately  no  one  was  hurt,  but  a 
scream  of  dismay  broke  from  the  natives. 

"Steady!"  Mr.  Harvey  shouted;  "push  on  ahead;  but 
each  man  keep  to  his  work — the  first  who  attempts  to 
run  and  desert  the  wagons  I  will  shoot  through  the 
head." 

"Tom,  go  on  a  hundred  yards  in  front,  and  keep  that 
distance  ahead  of  the  leading  wagon.  Shoot  down  at 
pnce  any  one  who  attempts  to  pass  you." 

JJock  followed  rock  in  quick  succession;  there  was, 
however,  fortunately  a  bulge  in  the  clifE  on  the  right- 
£and  side,  projecting  some  twenty  feet  out,  and  as  the 
Olocks  struck  this  they  were  hurled  off  to  the  left  side  of 
the  path.  Seeing  this  Mr.  Harvey  kept  the  wagons  close 
along  on  the  right,  and  although  several  of  the  oxen  and 
three  or  four  of  the  men  were  struck  by  detached  frag- 
ments from  above,  or  by  splinters  from  the  stones  as 
they  fell,  none  were  seriously  injured. 

Long  after  the  caravan  had  passed  the  point  the  rocks 
continued  to  thunder  down,  showing  Mr.  Harvey  that 
those  above  were  unable  to  see  to  the  bottom  of  the 
gorge,  but  that  they  were  discharging  their  missiles  at 
random.  A  short  distance  further  a  cross  ravine,  a  mere 
cleft  in  the  rock,  some  five  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  was 
passed,  and  Mr.  Harvey  congratulated  himself  at  the  cer- 
tainty that  this  would  bar  the  progress  of  their  foes 
above,  and  prevent  the  attack  being  renewed  from  any 
point  further  on. 

At  this  point  so  formidable  an  obstacle  was  met  with 
in  a  massive  rock,  some  thirty  feet  high,  jammed  in  the 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  185 

narrowest  part  of  the  ravine,  that  the  wagons  had  to  be 
emptied  and  hauled  by  ropes  up  the  almost  perpendicular 
rock,  the  oxen  being  taken  through  a  passage,  which 
with  immense  labor  the  men  managed  to  clear  of  stones, 
under  one  of  the  angles  of  the  rock.  It  was  not.  until 
after  dark  that  they  reached  the  spot  where  the  ravine 
again  widened  out  into  a  valley,  having  spent  sixteen 
hours  in  accomplishing  a  distance  of  only  three  miles. 
However,  all  congratulated  themselves  that  two-thirds  of 
their  labor  was  over,  and  that  but  one  more  defile  had  to 
be  surmounted. 

The  rearguard  remained  encamped  at  the  opening  of 
the  defile,  but  the  night  passed  without  interruption,  the 
natives -being  doubtless  disheartened  by  the  failure  to 
destroy  the  caravan  by  rocks  from  above. 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  chance  of  their  attacking 
ns  to-night,  down  the  slopes,  as  they  did  this  morning?" 
Tom  asked  Mr.  Harvey. 

"None  whatever,"  the  latter  replied,  "as  you  will  see 
in  the  morning.  This  valley  does  not  resemble  the  last;, 
the  rocks  rise  almost  perpendicularly  on  both  sides,  and 
it  would  not  be  possible  for  them  to  make  their  way 
down,  even  if  they  wanted  to  do  so." 

With  the  first  dawn  of  light  the  oxen  were  inspanned. 
Just  as  they  were  starting  one  of  the  natives  of  Dick's 
party  came  up  to  Mr.  Harvey,  and  reported  that  the 
natives  in  large  numbers  were  showing  in  the  ravine,  and 
the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifles,  which  almost  at  the  same 
moment  broke  out,  confirmed  his  statement. 

"The  defile  must  be  held,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "until 
we  are  well  in  the  next  pass.  When  the  last  wagon  hast 
entered  I  will  send  back  word,  and  they  must  then  follow 
us  and  hold  the  entrance.  Tom,  you  had  better 
take  four  more  of  the  armed  natives  to  strengthen  the 
rearguard.     Tell  Dick  to  come  on  and  join  me.    You 


134  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

had  yonr  fair  share  of  labor  yesterday,  and  your  hands 
are  cut  about  so,  by  lifting  and  heaving  rocks,  that  you 
would  be  able  to  do  little  to-day.  It  is  rather  a  good 
sign  that  the  natives  are  pressing  forward  in  such  force 
on  our  rear,  as  it  shows  that  they  have  no  great  faith  in 
any  attempt  they  may  make  to-day  to  repeat  their  rock- 
throwing  experiment  of  yesterday." 

As  before  two  natives  were  sent  on  ahead  to  examine 
the  defile,  and  Mr.  Harvey  moved  on  with  the  caravan 
until  he  reached  the  upper  edge  of  the  valley,  which  was 
scarcely  half  a  mile  long.  Just  as  he  did  so  the  natives 
came  hurriedly  down  the  defile;  they  reported  that  a 
short  distance  up  they  had  met  with  another  obstacle,  to 
the  full  as  difficult  as  that  which  they  had  got  the  wagons 
over  on  the  preceding  day,  and  that,  as  they  turned  an' 
angle  in  the  defile  and  came  in  sight  of  it,  they  were 
saluted  by  a  shower  of  arrows,  and  saw  a  crowd  of  natives 
on  the  top  of  the  barrier.  They  had  thrown  themselves 
down  behind  the  bowlders,  and  had  obtained  a  good 
view  of  the  natives  and  the  obstacle.  It  was  some  forty 
feet  further  up,  and  was  formed  by  three  or  four  great 
bowlders  jammed  in  together.-  On  the  other  side  small 
bowlders  and  stones  seemed  to  have  been  piled  up  by  the 
torrent  to  the  level  of  the  rocks;  but  on  the  lower  side  it 
was  almost  perpendicular,  and  they  questioned  if  a  man 
could  climb  it — certainly  there  was  no  passage  for  oxen. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS 


ic>i> 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  MOUNTAIN  TORRENT. 

The  news  brought  by  the  scouts  was  very  serious. 
The  continued  fire  in  the  rear  showed  that  the  enemy 
were  making  a  serious  attack  in  that  quarter.  But  Mr. 
Harvey  feared  that  his  fighting  force  there  must  be* 
weakened  greatly,  to  enable  him  to  attack  so  formidable 
a  position  as  that  which  the  enemy  occupied  in  front. 
Before  arriving  at  any  decision  as  to  his  best  course,  he 
halted  the  caravan,  and  went  forward  himself,  with  the 
two  natives,  to  inspect  the  position  which  they  had  dis- 
covered. 

When  he  reached  the  turn  in  the  defile  he  crawled  for- 
ward among  the  bowlders  until  he  reached  a  spot  where 
he  could  obtain  a  clear  view  of  the  barrier;  it  was  to  the 
full  as  formidable  as  it  had  been  described  by  the  scouts. 
It  would  have  needed  an  active  man  to  scale  the  rocks 
without  any  opposition  from  above,  while  on  the  top  a 
dense  body  of  natives  were  clustered,  numbering  at  least 
fifty,  and  probably  a  considerable  portion  of  their  force 
was  concealed  from  view. 

Mr.  Harvey  sent  back  one  of  the  natives  to  tell  Dick 
to  come  on  and  join  him;  after  which  he  was  to  go  back 
and  bid  Jumbo  come  up,  as  Mr.  Harvey  had  great  con- 
fidence in  the  hunter's  shrewdnesa 

Dick  oresently  arrived,  and  was  much  impressed  with 
the  formidable  nature  of  the  obstacle. 

"Wr  *"  light    creep  forward,"  he  said,   "among   the 


186  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

stones  and  soon  drive  those  fellows  off  the  edge,  but 
they  would  only  lie  down  behind,  and  could  easily  de- 
stroy us,  as  we  climbed  one  by  one  to  the  top.  Each 
one,  as  he  got  up,  would  be  riddled  with  assegais.  What 
are  you  thinking  of  doing,  sir?"  . 

"I  don't  know  what  is  best,  Dick.  I  quite  agree  with 
you,  it  is  a  tremendous  position  to  storm,  but  on  the 
other  hand  it  would  be  almost  as  bad  to  retreat.'* 

Ten  minutes  later  Jumbo  arrived  at  a  run;  without  a. 
word  he  threw  himself  down  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Harvey, 
and  for  two  or  three  minutes  gazed  silently  at  the 
obstacle  ahead;  then,  to  Mr.  Harvey's  surprise,  he 
turned  over  on  to  his  back,  and  lay  there  with  his  eyes 
open. 

"What  on  earth  are  you  doing,  Jumbo?" 

"Look  there,  sir,"  the  native  said,  pointing  to  a  glis- 
tening spot,  the  size  of  a  crown-piece,  on  his  stomach. 

"Well,  what  of  that?"  Mr.  Harvey  said;  "that's  a 
•drop  of  rain — there's  another  fallen  on  my  hat.  What 
do  you  think  of  that  place  ahead?" 

"Me  no  think  nothing  about  him,  sir;  that  place,  sir, 
210  consequence  one  way  or  de  other.  You  hear  him, 
sir?" 

As  he  spoke  a  loader  crash  of  thunder  burst  over- 
bead.  Mr.  Harvey  looked  up  now.  That  portion  of  the 
sky  which  could  be  seen  was  inky  black.  Great  drops  of 
rain  were  falling  with  a  pattering  sound  on  the  rock. 

"Storm  come,  sir;  very  bad  storm.  I  see  him  com- 
ing, and  say  to  Massa  Tom,  'Two  or  tree  hour  fight  over; 
now  you  see  someting  like  a  mountain-storm.  In  tree 
hours  water  come  down  twenty  feet  deep.'  " 

"You  are  right,  Jumbo.  It  is  lucky  the  storm  has 
begun  so  early;  if  we  had  got  far  into  the  defile  we 
should  have  been  caught.  Now,  all  we  have  got  to  do  is 
to  wait.     Go  back,  Dick,  and  send  up  every  man  with 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  187 

firearms;  we  must  at  once  engage  those  fellows  in  front 
and  occupy  their  attention.  If  they  once  perceive  their 
danger  they  will  make  a  desperate  rush  down  here,  and 
it  will  go  hard  with  us  then.  When  you  have  sent  the 
fighting-men  up,  see  that  the  teamsters  move  all  the 
wagons  to  the  highest  piece  of  ground  you  can  find  in 
the  valley.  Let  them  arrange  the  wagons  there  as  closely 
as  they  will  pack,  and  keep  the  animals  well  round  them. 
A  flood  will  destroy  our  enemy,  but  I  am  not  sure  that  it 
may  not  destroy  us  too.  Now  hurry  away,  and  tell  the 
fighting-men  to  run  up  as  quick  as  they  can.  "When  you 
have  seen  everything  in  readiness  join  Tom,  and  warn 
him  to  be  ready  to  fall  back  to  the  wagons  as  soon  as  the 
flood  comes." 

Dick  ran  down  the  ravine.  It  was  not  until  he  issued 
from  it  that  he  was  aware  how  tremendously  the  rain 
was  pouring  down.  In  the  defile  he  had  been  conscious 
only  of  a  slight  mist,  with  an  occasional  drop  of  heavy 
rain,  for  very  few  of  the  raindrops  which  entered  the 
gap  far  above  descended  to  the  bottom,  almost  all  strik- 
ing against  the  sides.  In  the  comparatively  open  valley, 
however,  the  rain  was  coming  down  in  a  perfect  cataract. 
Dick  at  once  sent  all  the  fighting-men  to  the  front,  and 
three  minutes  later  the  report  of  musketry  told  that  they 
were  engaged  with  the  enemy. 

Dick  now  set  to  work  with  ten  of  the  natives  to  select 
the  spot  on  which  to  place  the  wagons.  The  bottom  of 
the  valley  was  very  flat,  and  the  sand  between  the 
bowlders  showed  that  when  the  water  was  high  the 
whole  was  covered.  He,  however,  found  a  spot  on  the 
left-hand  side,  about  midway  between  the  two  defiles, 
which  was  some  feet  higher  than  the  rest.  The  hill- 
side behind  at  this  point  rose  somewhat  less  abruptly 
than  elsewhere,  and  it  was  probable  that  the  rise  in  the 
bottom  was  formed  by  a  slip  which  had  taken  place  at 


t88  ™E  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

some  past  period.  Here  the  wagons  were  arranged  side 
beside  in  two  rows,  the  wheels  of  the  three  inner  wagons 
close  against  the  slope  above  them.  The  cattle  were 
gathered  closely  round. 

Dick  then  joined  Tom,  whom  he  found  in  high  spirits, 
the  hunters  having  already  told  him  that  the  flood  would 
very  soon  come  to  their  relief.  The  party  was  hotly  en- 
gaged. About  thirty  or  forty  yards  intervened  between 
them  and  their  enemy,  who,  crouching  behind  rocks,  were 
shooting  their  arrows  high  into  the  air,  so  that  they  came 
down  almost  perpendicularly  upon  the  defenders.  One  of 
these  had  been  killed  and  three  severely  wounded  by  the 
missiles;  while  they  themselves  could  only  get  an  occa- 
sional shot  at  a  limb  exposed  beyond  the  shelter  of  the 
bowlders. 

Not  having  received  orders  to  stay  by  Tom,  Dick 
retraced  his  steps  up  the  valley  to  the  party  above. 
From  the  cliffs  at  the  side  of  the  valley  waterfalls  were 
leaping  down,  and  a  stream  of  water  was  already  begin- 
ning to  flow  down  its  center.  The  bed  of  the  defile  was 
perfectly  dry,  the  stones  being  scarcely  wetted  by  the 
fine  mist  from  above.  Dick  found  Mr.  Harvey  and  the 
natives  engaged  in  keeping  up  a  hot  fire  at  the  top  of 
the  obstacle,  lying  at  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  yards 
from  it  among  the  rocks.  One  or  two  dead  natives  were 
stretched  on  the  top  of  the  rock;  the  rest  were  not  to  be 
seen,  but  the  arrows  whistled  fast  over  his  head,  showing 
that  they  were  lying  down  just  behind  it. 

"The  rain  is  tremendous  outside,"  Dick  said,  as  he 
joined  Mr.  Harvey.  "You  can  have  no  idea  what  it  is 
here.  The  water  is  pouring  so  fast  into  the  valley  that  a 
stream  is  forming  there  already,  and  will  soon  be  run- 
ning two  or  three  feet  deep  down  the  lower  pass.  I 
■wonder  it  has  not  begun  to  make  its  way  down  from 
above." 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  189 

i 

"It  has  begun,  Dick;  look  at  those  little  threads  of 

water  between  the  stones.  When  it  comes,  it  will  come 
with  a  rush;  that  is  always  the  way  with  these  gorges. 
Jumbo  is  listening;  it  will  come  with  a  roar  like  thun- 
der. He  has  just  told  me  I  had  better  send  most  of  the 
men  back  at  once,  keeping  only  four  or  five  to  continue 
firing  to  the  last  moment.  You  see  the  enemy,  who  are 
there  on  a  sort  of  platform,  will  not  notice  the  water  that 
is  making  its  way  down.  See  how  fast  it  rises;  it  is 
ankle-deep  already — and,  I  tell  you,  we  shall  have  to  run 
when  the  time  comes. " 

All  the  natives,  with  the  exception  of  Jumbo  and  two 
other  men,  were  sent  back. 

"I  don't  see  anything  to  fire  at,"  Dick  said. 

"No,"  Mr.  Harvey  agreed;  "it  is  a  pure  waste  of  am- 
munition, except  that  it  occupies  their  attention.  They 
can  hardly  be  conscious  yet  how  tremendously  it  is  rain- 
ing. If  they  were  they  would  not  remain  where  they 
are,  but  would  make  a  rush  upon  us,  however  great  the 
risk." 

"Listen!"  Jumbo  exclaimed  suddenly. 

They  listened  and  were  conscious  of  a  dull,  heavy, 
roaring  sound.    Jumbo  leaped  to  his  feet. 

"Come!"  he  said;  "run  for  your  lives." 

They  started  up  and  took  to  their  heels.  A  terrible 
yell  was  heard  behind  them,  and,  glancing  over  his 
shoulder  as  he  turned  the  corner,  Dick  saw  the  natives 
climbing  down  from  their  defense,  and  even  leaping 
from  the  top  in  their  terror.  Fast  as  Dick  was  running, 
the  roar  behind  rose  louder  and  louder. 

"Quick,  Dick,"  Mr.  Harvey  shouted,  "or  you  will  oe 
too  late." 

Dick  hurried  to  the  utmost,  but  the  stream  was 
already  rising  rapidly,  and  was  running  knee-deep  be- 
tween the  stones.     Stumbling  and  slipping,  and  cutting 


190  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

himself  against  the  rocks,  Dick  struggled  on.  The 
mighty  roar  was  now  close  behind  him,  and  seemed  to 
him  like  that  of  a  heavy  train  at  full  speed.  He  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  ravine;  the  water  was  already  up  to  his 
waist.  Mr.  Harvey  and  Jumbo  dashed  in,  seized  him  by 
the  arms,  and  dragged  him  out. 

"Run!"  they  said. 

They  were  not  fifty  yards  from  the  mouth  when  Dick, 
looking  round,  saw  a  mighty  wall  of  water,  fifteen  feet 
high,  leap  from  it,  pouring  as  from  huge  sluice-gates 
into  the  valley.  He  did  not  stop  running  until  he  joined 
the  rest  gathered  by  the  wagon's. 

Tom  and  his  party  were  already  there,  for  the  rising 
water  had  soon  warned  their  assailants  of  the  danger, 
and  the  fire  had  suddenly  ceased.  Already  the  greater 
part  of  the  valley  was  covered  with  water,  down  the 
center  of  which  a  foaming  torrent  was  flowing.  Here  and 
there  could  be  seen  numerous  dark  objects,  which,  he 
knew,  were  the  bodies  of  the  natives  who  had  defended 
the  upper  defile,  caught  before  they  could  reach  its 
mouth  by  the  wall  of  water  from  above.  They  had  in- 
stantly been  dashed  lifeless  against  the  rocks  and 
bowlders,  and  not  one  could  be  seen  to  make  toward  the 
comparatively  still  waters  on  either  side  of  the  center 
stream. 

Driven  back  again  by  the  narrow  entrance  to  the  lower 
defile  the  water  in  the  valley  rose  rapidly,  as  with  an 
ever-increasing  violence  it  poured  in  from  above.  There 
it  was  rushing  out  in  a  solid,  dark-brown  cataract,  which 
Dick  judged  to  be  fully  forty  feet  in  height.  In  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  from  its  first  outburst  the  water  had 
already  reached  the  feet  of  those  standing  upon  the  little 
knoll  of  ground  in  the  valley.  The  oxen  lowing  and 
stamping  with  terror  pressed  more  and  more  closely  to- 
gether.    The  young  ostriches  were  placed  in  one  of 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  191 

the  wagons,  for  although  their  height  would  have  left 
their  heads  well  above  water,  they  would  probably  have 
succumbed  to  the  effects  of  a  prolonged  submersion  of 
their  bodies. 

"If  it  goes  on  like  this  for  another  quarter  of  an 
hour,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "the  oxen  will  be  washed  away, 
if  not  the  wagons.  Thank  God,  I  think  we  can  all  man" 
age  to  climb  up  the  slope.  Jumbo,  tell  the  men  each  to 
load  themselves  with  five  or  six  days'  provisions.  Let 
half  a  dozen  take  boxes  of  ammunition,  and  as  many 
bales  of  the  best  cloth.  Let  the  rest  take  as  many 
bundles  of  the  best  ostrich  feathers  as  they  can  carry. 
Let  them  lay  them  all  on  the  slope,  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  up,  wherever  they  can  find  place  for  them,  and 
then  come  down  again,  and  make  as  many  trips  with  the 
best  goods  as  they  can." 

All  hands  worked  hard;  inch  by  inch  the  water  rose; 
Mr.  Harvey,  assisted  by  the  boys  and  teamsters,  fastened 
ropes  together,  and  with  these  surrounded  the  closely 
packed  throng  of  cattle.  The  water  was  now  more  than 
waist-deep,  and  was  still  rising;  soon  the  cattle  on  the 
outside  were  lifted  off  their  feet.  There  was  no  current 
here,  and  they  floated  with  their  heads  on  the  backs  of 
those  in  front  of  them;  higher  and  higher  the  water  rose, 
till  the  whole  of  the  cattle  were  afloat.  At  first  a  few 
straggled,  but  soon  they  subsided  into  quiet,  and  the 
whole  mass  floated  together,  with  only  their  heads  above 
water. 

On  every  available  ledge  on  the  hillside  were  placed 
bundles  and  bales  of  all  kinds,  and  here  the  whites  and 
natives  stood,  watching  the  progress  of  the  flood.  The 
thunder-shower  had  ceased  soon  after  the  water  first 
burst  through  the  gorge,  but  Mr.  Harvey  knew  that  some 
hours  must  elapse  before  the  flood  would  begin  to  abate. 

"I  don't  see  why  the  water  should  not  run  off  as  fast 
as  it  comes  in,"  Dick  said. 


192  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"It  all  depends,  Dick,  upon  the  question  whether  in 
tljie  lower  defile  there  is  any  place  narrower  than  the 
mouth,  through  which  the  water  is  rushing  from  above. 
According  to  appearances  this  is  so;  for,  could  the  water 
escape  faster  than  it  comes  in,  the  lake  here  would  cease 
to  rise.  I  think  now  the  water  has  reached  a  level, 
where  the  outflow  nearly  equals  the  inflow.  I  have  been 
watching  the  wheels  of  the  wagons,  and  for  the  last  ten 
minutes  I  do  not  think  it  has  risen  above  an  inch  or 
two." 

"I  will  get  down  and  watch,"  Dick  said,  and  he 
scrambled  down  to  the  water's  edge. 

Two  minutes  later  he  shouted  up: 

"It  has  not  risen  at  all  since  I  came  here!" 

The  teamsters  had  taken  their  station  on  the  outside 
wagons,  and  continued  to  talk  and  shout  to  the  oxen, 
exhorting  these  to  be  patient  and  quiet,  as  if  the  animals 
were  capable  of  understanding  every  word  they  said. 

For  three  hours  there  was  no  change  in  the  situation. 
Then  all  thought  that  there  was  a  slight  decrease  in  the 
height  of  the  torrent  of  water  pouring  from  the  defile, 
and  half  an  hour  later  a  slight  but  distinct  subsidence  in 
the  level  of  the  water  could  be  perceived.  In  another 
hour  it  had  fallen  a  foot,  and  alter  that  the  fall  was 
rapid  and  steady.  The  deep  roar  caused  by  the  rushing 
torrent  and  the  rumbling  of  the  huge  bowlders  and  rocks 
swept  along  in  the  narrow  defile  gradually  subsided,  and 
soon  the  bullocks  were  again  standing  on  their  feet. 

The  natives  set  to  work  to  wash  away  the  thick  sedi- 
ment which  the  flood  had  left  on  the  floor  of  the  wagons, 
and  before  nightfall  the  goods  were  all  repacked.  But 
few  signs  of  the  recent  flood  now  remained  in  the  valley. 
A  stream  still  rushed  through  the  center.  Trunks  and 
branches  of  trees  lay  here  and  there,  as  the  water  had  left 
them,  and  the  bodies  of  some  twenty  or  thirtv  natives 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  193 

were  lying  among  the  rocks*  In  some,  places  shallow 
pools  remained;  in  others  were  sheets  of  glistening  mud. 

"We  shall  have  no  more  trouble  with  the  natives," 
Mr.  Harvey  said;  "the  fighting-men  of  that  tribe  must 
have  been  nearly  annihilated. " 

"Do  you  think  that  those  below  were  caught,  as  well 
as  those  above?" 

-  "Certainly,"  Mr.  Harvey  answered;  "the  water  went 
■down  with  the  speed  of  a  race-horse;  they  had  only  a  few 
minutes'  start,  and  would  have  been  overtaken  before 
they  could  have  even  gained  the  lower  bed  of  the  gorge. 
We  can  journey  on  peacefully  now.  We  have  been  for- 
tunate indeed;  we  have  only  lost  one  man,  and  the  three 
who  were  hit  with  stones  are  all  likely  to  do  well.  We 
have  not  lost  a  single  bullock  nor  a  bale  of  goods." 

"We  shall  have  hard  work  to  get  the  wagons  up  that 
place  where  the  natives  made  the  stand  to-morrow." 

"It  is  quite  likely,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "that  the 
obstacle  there  no  longer  exists.  A  flood  like  that  of 
to-day  would  carry  away  anything.  Look  at  those  great 
blocks,  some  of  which  must  weigh  more  than  a  hundred 
top*j.  Likely  enough  some  of  them  have  formed  part  of 
that  great  pile.  I  have  already  sent  Tony  and  Blacking 
tip  the  defile  to  see  how  the  flood  has  left  it,  and  in  an 
hour  they  will  tee  back  to  report." 

The  hunters  on  returning  brought  the  good  news  that 
the  great  block  had  been  removed,  and  so  far  as  they 
had  explored  no  other  of  any  importance  had  been 
found.  They  said  indeed  that  the  defile  was  now  more 
open  than  either  of  the  two  gorges  they  had  already 
passed  through. 

This  was  very  satisfactory,  for  all  had  had  enough  of 
lifting  and  heaving  rocks.  Their  hands  were  all  cut 
and  wounded,  and  every  limb  ached  with  the  strains 
which  they  had  undergone. 


194  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

The  next  mornmg  at  daybreak  the  caravan  started. 
The  hunters'  report  of  the  state  of  the  roads  was  fairly 
borne  out,  and  although  some  difficulties  were  met  with 
it  was  unnecessary  to  unyoke  the  oxen,  although  of 
course  many  bowlders  had  to  be  cleared  away  to  allow 
them  to  pass.  On  emerging  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
defile  they  found  they  were  in  a  valley  which  opened  out 
to  a  great  width,  and  rose  in  gradual  slopes  at  its  head  to 
the  crest  of  the  hills.  As  the  only  egress  at  the  lower 
end  was  by  the  defile,  it  was  clear  that  the  whole  rain- 
fall must  make  its  way  by  this  exit,  which  fully  accounted 
for  the  tremendous  torrent  they  had  witnessed. 

Two  days'  traveling  brought  them  to  the  foot  of  the 
slopes  on  the  other  side  of  the  range  of  hills,  and  they 
were  soon  engaged  in  carrying  on  a  considerable  trade 
with  the  natives  there. 

For  another  three  months  they  traveled  slowly  through 
the  country,  by  the  end  of  which  time  they  had  disposed 
of  all  their  goods,  and  the  wagons  were  filled  to  the  tilts 
with  skins  and  bales  of  ostrich  feathers. 

They  now  turned  their  faces  to  the  south.  After 
journeying  for  a  fortnight  they  perceived  one  day,/  far 
across  the  couritry,  the  white  tilts  of  another  caravan. 
The  three  whites  at  once  started  at  full  gallop,  eager  to 
hear  news  of  what  had  taken  place  in  the  colony  during 
their  absence.  As  they  neared  the  caravan  two  white 
men  rode  out  to  meet  them;  both  were  known  to  Mr. 
Harvey,  and  hearty  greetings  were  exchanged. 

The  newcomers  were  halting  for  the  day,  and  Mr. 
Harvey  and  the  boys  were  soon  seated  in  tents,  with 
three  bottles  of  beer  in  front  of  them,  a  luxury  which 
they  heartily  enjoyed,  having  been  many  months  with- 
out tasting  it. 

"And  now  what  is  the  news  in  the  colony?"  Mr.  Har- 
vey asked,  after  having  replied  to  their  Questions  as  to 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  195 

the  state  of  trade,  and  the  route  which  they  had  fol- 
lowed, as  the  newcomers  would  of  course  take  another 
line,  so  as  not  to  pass  over  the  same  ground. 

"Things  don't  look  well,"  they  answered;  "the  Boers 
are  growing  so  insolent  that  there  is  no  getting  on  with 
them.  Several  English  have  been  shot  down  in  various 
places,  without  the  smallest  cause.  They  openly  declare 
their  intention  of  recovering  their  independence.  The 
English  stores  are  for  the  most  part  tabooed,  and  things 
altogether  look  very  threatening.  There  is  a  mere 
handful  of  British  troops  in  the  Transvaal,  and  only  a 
regiment  or  so  in  Natal.  Those  wretched  duffers  at 
home  hurried  every  soldier  out  of  the  country  the  instant 
the  fighting  was  over,  and  if  the  Boers  really  mean  busi- 
ness we  shall  have  no  end  of  trouble.  You  see,  we  have 
crushed  their  two  enemies,  tne  Zulus  and  Secoceni,  and 
now  that  we  have  done  the  work  for  them  they  want  to 
get  rid  of  us." 

"I  thought  we  should  have  trouble  with  them,"  Mr. 
Harvey  said;  "they  are  an  obstinate,  pig-headed  race; 
they  never  would  pay  taxes  to  their  own  government; 
they  would  not  even  turn  out  and  fight  when  Secoceni 
threatened  to  overrun  the  country;  and  now,  as  likely  as 
not,  they  will  fight  desperately  for  the  independence  they 
were  glad  enough  to  relinquish  in  the  hour  of  danger. 
What  you  tell  me  is  a  nuisance.  I  had  originally  in- 
tended to  go  down  through  Kimberley  to  Port  Elizabeth; 
but  I  changed  my  mind  and  decided  to  go  back  through 
the  Transvaal,  and  I  have  come  so  far  to  the  east  that  I 
J  do  not  like  to  change  my  plans  again.  However,  I  don't 
suppose  we  shall  be  interfered  with.  They  can't  very 
well  quarrel  with  us,  if  we  won't  quarrel  with  them." 

"Perhaps  not,"  the  trader  said;  "but  I  tell  you  I  have 
found  it  precious  difficult  to  keep  my  temper  several 
times.  The  insolence  and  swagger  of  those  fellows  ia 
amazing." 


196  TEE  TOTING  COLONISTS. 

The  two  caravans  halted  near  each  other  for  the  day, 
and  a  pleasant  evening  was  spent.  The  next  morning 
each  resumed  its  way. 

No  further  adventure  was  met  with  until  the  Limpopo 
was  reached;  this  was  crossed  on  rafts.  The  natives  who 
had  accompanied  them  were  now  paid  on*,  receiving  a 
handsome  present  each,  in  addition  to  the  sum  agreed 
upon,  and  the  caravan  proceeded  on  its  way. 

At  the  first  Dutch  village  at  which  they  arrived,  a 
week  after  leaving  the  Limpopo,  they  had  evidence  of  a 
change  of  demeanor  in  the  Boers.  As  they  passed 
through  the  streets  a  group  of  five  or  six  men  were 
standing  at  the  door  of  a  store;  one  of  them  in  a  loud 
and  insolent  voice  made  a  remark  to  the  others,  that  he- 
fore  long  they  would  not  have  any  of  these  English  dogs 
going  through  their  country — a  remark  which  was  re- 
ceived with  boisterous  approval  by  the  others.  Mr. 
Harvey's  face  flushed,  and  he  was  on  the  point  of  rein- 
ing in  his  horse,  and  riding  up  to  chastise  the  insolent 
Boer,  but  the  thought  of  the  distance  of  country  yet 
before  him  checked  him.  It  was  clearly  the  intention  of 
the  man  to  force  a  quarrel,  and  in  this  the  English  were 
sure  to  get  the  disadvantage  finally.  He  therefore  rode 
quietly  on  with  the  insolent  laughter  of  the  Dutchmen 
ringing  in  his  ears.  The  lads  were  equally  indignant, 
and  it  was  only  the  example  of  Mr.  Harvey  which  had 
restrained  them. 

"Things  have  come  to  a  pretty  pass,"  Mr.  Harvey 
said  as  he  dismounted,  "that  Englishmen  should  be 
openly  insulted  in  this  way.  However,  I  suppose  it  will 
not  do  to  resent  it,  for  these  scoundrels  would  clearly  be 
only  too  glad  of  an  excuse  to  shoot  us  down;  but  if  this 
sort  of  thing  is  going  on  at  every  village  we  pass  through 
we  shall  have  hard  work  in  keeping  our  tempers  until  we 
are  fairly  out  of  the  Transvaal.    I  pity  our  countrymen 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  197 

who  have  bought  land  or  set  up  stores  in  this  country. 
I  was  never  fond  of  the  Boers,  though  I  am  willing  to 
allow  that  they  are  a  splendid  set  of  men,  and  that  they 
are  magnificent  riders  and  good  shots.  I  question  if  we 
shall  ever  retain  them  against  their  will.  Of  coarse  if 
we  had  a  government  which  worked  with  energy  and  de- 
cision it  would  be  a  different  matter  altogether.  There 
are  a  considerable  number  of  English  and  Scotch  settlers 
already  here,  and  the  natives  would  rise  against  the 
Dutch  to  a  man,  if  called  upon  to  do  so;  and  if  a  couple 
of  dozen  of  their  ringleaders  were  promptly  seized  and 
shot  there  would  be  an  end  to  the  whole  matter.  But  I 
know  what  it  will  be:  the  natives  will  not  be  encouraged 
or  even  allowed  to  rise,  our  soldiers,  who  can  hardly  hit  a 
haystack  at  a  hundred  yards,  will  be  shot  down  at  a  dis- 
tance by  the  Boers,  and  likely  enough  we  shall  meet 
with  a  serious  disaster,  and  then  the  English  govern- 
ment will  get  frightened  and  make  any  terms  these  fel» 
lows  demand." 


198  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  FIGHT  "WITH  THE   BOERS. 

For  some  time  they  continued  their  journey,  meeting 
everywhere  with  the  grossest  incivility  on  the  part  of  the 
Boers;  in  many  places  they  were  refused  water  at  the 
farms,  and  warned  at  once  off  the  land,  and  Mr.  Harvey 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  keeping  his  own  temper 
and  restraining  the  boys  from  resenting  the  language  of 
the  Boers. 

One  day,  as  they  were  riding  along,  two  Boers  on 
horseback  halted  on  an  eminence  near  the  road  and  ad- 
dressed taunting  remarks  to  them;  they  made  no  answer, 
but  continued  their  way.  They  had  not  gone  a  hundred 
yards  when  one  of  the  Boers  deliberately  took  aim  and  fired 
at  them;  the  ball  passed  between  Dick  and  Mr.  Harvey  and 
struck  one  of  the  natives  walking  jnst  in  front  of  them,, 
killing  him  upon  the  spot.  This  was  too  much.  Mr. 
Harvey  and  the  lads  wheeled  their  horses,  unslung  their 
rifles,  and  fired  at  the  Boers^  who  were  galloping  away. 
One  of  them  at  once  dropped  from  his  saddle,  shot- 
through  the  head;  the  other  reeled,  but,  retaining  his 
seat,  galloped  off  at  full  speed. 

"This  is  a  bad  business,  boys,"  Mr.  Harvey  said;  "we 
could  not  help  it,  but  it  will  bring  trouble  upon  us.  I 
Now  let  us  branch. off  from  the  road  we  are  following 
and  make  for  Leydenberg;  we  are  within  three  days' 
march  of  that  place.  There  is  an  English  garrison 
there,  and  justice  will  be  done.     If  we  push  on  straight 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  199 

for   Standerton   we  shall  be    overtaken    and    probably 
killed  before  we  get  there." 

The  bullocks'  heads  were  turned  toward  the  southeast, 
and  at  the  best  pace  the  teams  were  driven  across  the 
country.  Several  large  native  kraals  were  passed  in  the  , 
course  of  the  day,  and  after  a  march  of  nearly  double  the 
ordinary  length  the  caravan  halted  for  the  night  on  the 
banks  of  a  stream.  A  sharp  watch  was  kept  all  night, 
but  nothing  particular  happened. 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  inspan  the  oxen  in  the 
morning  some  fifteen  or  twenty  men  were  seen  approach- 
ing at  a  gallop.  The  oxen  were  at  once  driven  again  to 
the  laager,  and  every  man  seized  his  arms.  The  Dutch- 
men halted  at  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards,  and  then 
three  of  them  rode  up  to  the  caravan. 

"What  do  you  want?"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  advancing  on 
foot  in  front  of  the  wagons,  while  the  lads  and  the  three 
hunters  stood,  rifles  in  hand,  behind  them. 

"We  summon  you  to  surrender,"  the  Boers  said; 
"you  have  murdered  Mr.  Van  Burer  and  wounded  Mr. 
Schlessihoff." 

"We  have  done  nothing  of  the  sort,"  Mr.  Harvey  an- 
swered. "We  were  going  quietly  along  the  road  when 
those  men  insulted  us;  we  passed  on  without  answering. 
After  we  had  gone  a  hundred  yards  they  fired  at  us,  nar- 
rowly missed  me,  and  killed  one  of  my  men.  We  fired 
back,  and  with  the  result  you  have  named.  We  are 
quite  ready  to  answer  for  our  conduct,  and  when  we  get 
to  Leydenberg  we  shall  at  once  deliver  ourselves  up  to 
the  magistrate,  and  report  what  has  occurred,  and  you 
can  then  bring  any  charge  you  want  to  make  against  us." 

"You  will  never  get  to  Leydenberg,"  the  Boers  said 
scoffingly;  "we  are  your  magistrates  and  judges;  we 
want  no  English  law  here.  Once  for  all,  will  you  sur- 
render?" 


200  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"We  certainly  will  not,"  Mr.  Harvey  replied,  "and  if 
you  molest  us  it  will  be  at  your  peril."  ' 

Without  another  word  the  Boers  turned  their  horses' 
heads  and  rode  back  to  their  comrades;  upon  their  join- 
ing them  the  whole  rode  some  little  distance  to  the  rear, 
and  then  divided,  half  turning  to  the  left,  the  other  to 
the  right. 

"What  on  earth  are  they  going  to  do?"  Dick  asked  in 
surprise. 

"They  are  going  to  surround  us,"  Mr.  Harvey  said; 
"they  will  dismount  and  leave  their  horses  in  shelter. 
Now,  lads,  out  with  all  the  bales  of  skins  and  pile  them 
up  under  the  wagons." 

All  hands  set  to  work,  and  soon  under  each  wagon  a 
thick  breastwork  of  bales  was  erected,  reaching  nearly  up 
to  the  floor,  leaving  only  enough  space  to  see  out  of  and 
fire;  the  three  whites  and  the  hunters  took  station,  one 
under  each  wagon,  the  teamsters  and  other  natives  being 
distributed  round  the  square.  Quickly  as  they  had 
labored,  the  preparations  were  not  complete  when  from 
a  brow  at  the  distance  of  about  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  laager,  a  shot  was  fired,  the  bullet  burying  itself  with 
a  thud  in  one  of  the  bales  of  skins;  almost  instantly  from 
every  point  in  a  circle  round  other  shots  were  fired,  and 
the  splintering  of  wood  and  the  dull  sounds  as  the  shots 
struck  the  barricade  told  how  accurate  was  their  aim. 

Mr.  Harvey's  orders  had  been,  "Don't  throw  away  a 
shot.  When  you  see  the  flash  of  a  rifle,  aim  steadily  at 
that  point;  the  next  time  a  head  is  lifted  to  take  aim, 
hit  it."  The  natives  were  ordered  on  no  account  to  fire, 
unless  the  Boers  attempted  to  close,  but  to  lie  quietly 
under  shelter  of  the  defenses.  In  consequence  of  these 
orders  not  a  shot  replied  to  the  first  volley  of  the  Boers; 
but  when  the  second  round  commenced  puffs  of  smoke 
darted  from  beneath  the  wagons.     Dick  and  Tom  knew 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  201 

that  their  shots'  had  been  successful,  for  the  heads  at 
which  they  had  aimed  lay  clearly  in  view,  and  no  dis- 
charge came  from  the  rifles  pointed  toward  them.  The 
other  shots  must  have  passed  near  their  marks,  and  after 
this  first  exhibition  of  the  shooting  powers  of  the  de- 
fenders the  Boers  became  much  more  careful,  firing 
only  at  intervals,  and  shifting  their  ground  each  time 
before  they  raised  their  heads  to  take  aim.  So  the 
whole  day  passed,  a  dropping  fire  being  kept  up  on  both 
sides.  The  defenders  were  convinced  by  the  end  of  the 
day  that  seven  or  eight  of  the  Boers  had  fallen,  but  their 
places  had  been  more  than  filled  by  newcomers  who  had 
been  seen  galloping  across  the  plain  toward  the  scene  of 
conflict.  On  the  side  of  the  defenders  no  casualties  had 
occurred. 

Toward  evening  the  fire  died  away,  and  Tom  and  Dick 
joined  Mr.  Harvey. 

"What  will  they  do  next  ?" 

"I  don't  know,  Dick;  the  Boers  are  by  no  means  fond 
of  exposing  themselves  to  danger,  as  has  been  proved 
over  and  over  again  in  their  fights  with  natives.  They 
must  have  suffered  already  a  great  deal  more  than  they 
bargained  for,  and  are  no  doubt  heartily  sick  of  the  job. 
They  may  try  a  rush  at  night,  though  I  question  whether 
they  will  do  so.  I  rather  imagine  that  their  tactics  will 
be  to  besiege  us  until  we  are  driven  to  make  a  move,  and 
then  to  attack  us  by  the  way.  Fortunately  the  stream 
is  close  at  hand,  and  we  can  get  water  for  our  cattle. 
Still,  there  must  be  an  end  of  it  at  some  time  or  other." 

Blacking  now  crept  under  the  wagon. 

"Massa,  what  you  say? — me  think  the  best  plan  will  be 
for  me  to  crawl  out  and  run  to  chief  Mangrope;  his  place 
twenty  miles  away;  he  always  hate  the  Dutch,  and  refuse 
to  pay  tribute;  several  times  they  have  sent  parties 
against  him,  but  he  always  beat  them  off.    Blacking  tell 


202  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

him  that  de  Beers  attack  English,  and  that  if  he  come 
down  and  help  drive  them  off  you  give  him  one  team  of 
fine  oxen — he  come." 

"I  think  your  plan  is  a  very  good  one,  Blacking;  but 
do  you  think  that  you  can  get  through?" 

"Get  through  those  stupid  Boers?  Easily,"  Blacking 
said  contemptuously. 

"Very  well,  Blacking;  then  as  soon  as  it  is  dark  you 
had  better  start." 

Blacking  nodded  and  withdrew,  and  an  hour  after- 
ward stole  out  from  the  camp. 

As  soon  as  night  fell  the  Boers  opened  fire  again,  this 
^ime  aiming  entirely  at  the  end  of  the  wagons  nearest 
the  water,  evidently  with  the  intention  of  rendering  it 
difficult  to  procure  water  from  the  stream. 

Mr.  Harvey  and  his  companions  answered  by  firing  at 
the  flashes.  As  they  hoped  that  rescue  would  arrive  ere 
long,  Mr.  Harvey  did  not  permit  any  one  to  go  outside 
shelter  to  fetch  water,  as  the  animals  had  been  watered 
in  the  morning  the  first  thing,  and  could,  if  necessary, 
hold  out  until  the  following  night. 

Just  as  daylight  was  breaking  a  tremendous  yell  was 
heard,  followed  by  a  hasty  discharge  of  muskets;  then 
there  was  the  sound  of  horses'  hoofs  galloping  at  full 
speed,  and  then,  headed  by  Blacking,  two  to  three  hun- 
dred natives  came  up  to  the  camp.  The  chief  himself 
was  among  them.  Mr.  Harvey  had  on  several  occasions 
traded  with  him,  and  now  thanked  him  warmly  for  the 
welcome  aid  he  had  brought  him. 

The  Boers  were  already  far  away,  each  man  having  rnn 
to  his  horse  and  galloped  off,  panic-stricken  at,  the  sud- 
den attack.  The  oxen  were  at  once  inspanned,  two 
being  taken  from  each  team  and  presented  to  the  chief, 
together  with  a  large  bale  of  cotton  in  return  for  his  as- 
sistance. The  caravan  then  started,  and  after  a  march, 
of  sixteen  hours  arrived  at  Leydenberg. 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  203 

"It  is  an  awful  nuisance/'  Dick  said  to  Tom  on  the 
inarch,  "our  being  obliged  to  come  round  here.  If 
everything  had  gone  straight,  I  calculated  that  we  might 
be  at  home  by  Christmas  Eve.  Now,  goodness  only 
knows  when  we  shall  arrive;  for  as  likely  as  not  we  may 
be  kept  here  for  days  over  this  row  with  the  Boers." 

The  moment  they  arrived  at  Leydenberg  Mr.  Harvey, 
accompanied  by  the  two  lads  and  the  three  native 
hunters,  went  to  the  house  of  the  magistrate.  That  gen- 
tleman had  just  finished  his  dinner;  but  on  being  told 
that  his  visitors'  business  was  urgent  he  asked  them  to 
be  shown  in.  The  hunters  remained  outside,  and  the 
lads  followed  Mr.  Harvey  into  the  house. 

"I  have  come  to  make  a  complaint  against  some 
Boers,"  the  trader  said. 

"Then  I  can  tell  you  beforehand,"  the  magistrate  put 
in,  "that  your  mission  is  a  vain  one.  Outside  this  town 
I  have  not  at  present  the  slightest  authority.  Com- 
plaints reach  me  on  all  sides  of  outrages  perpetrated  by 
the  Boers  upon  English  settlers  and  traders.  Strong 
armed  parties  are  moving  about  the  country;  and  al- 
though I  will  of  course  hear  anything  that  you  have  got 
to  say,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  redress  when  things  set- 
tle down  again,  I  cannot  hold  out  any  hope  of  being  able 
to  take  action  at  present." 

"I  have  scarcely  come  to  you,  sir,  with  the  idea  of  ob- 
taining redress,  but  rather  of  stating  my  case,  in  case  the 
Boers  should  bring  a  complaint  against  me." 

The  trader  then  proceeded  to  relate  the  circumstances 
which  had  occurred:  the  wanton  attack  upon  them  in 
the  first  place,  the  murder  of  one  of  their  servants,  the 
killing  of  one  and  the  wounding  of  the  other  of  the  ag- 
gressors, the  v subsequent  attack  upon  their  camp,  and 
their  relief  by  Mangrope. 

"I  think  you  have  got  remarkably  well  out  of  the 


204  THE  YOUNG  GOLONISTS. 

affair,  and  although  the  attack  of  the  Boers  has  cost  you 
the  life  of  one  of  your  followers  and  twelve  oxen,  as  you 
have  killed  eight  or  ten  of  them  you  have  made  matters 
more  than  even,  and  have,  moreover,  given  them  a  lesson 
which  may  be  useful.  *  I  will  take  down  your  deposi- 
tions, as  it  is  as  well  that  your  friends  here,  and  the 
hunters  you  speak  of,  should  testify  to  it.  It  is  hardly 
likely  that  I  shall  hear  any  more  of  the  matter;  the 
Boers  were  clearly  in  the  wrong,  and  in  any  case  they 
would  not  be  likely  at  the  present  moment,  when  the 
country  is  in  a  state  very  closely  approaching  insurrec- 
tion, to  seek  redress  in  an  English  court.  Fortunately 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  the  Ninety-fourth  .Regi- 
ment leave  here  to-morrow  morning,  on  the  way  to 
Pretoria.  Their  road  will,  for  some  distance,  be  the 
same  as  yours;  their  colonel  is  at  the  present  moment  in 
the  next  room  with  several  of  his  officers,  and  I  will  re- 
quest permission  for  your  wagons  to  follow  his  baggage- 
train.  Thus  you  can  keep  with  him  until  the  road 
separates,  by  which  time  you  will  be  well  out  of  the  dis- 
trict of  the  Boers  who  attacked  you.  You  will,  I  sup- 
pose, go  through  Utrecht  and  keep  the  eastern  road,  as 
that  will  be  shorter  than  going  round  by  Standerton  and 
Newcastle.  If  you  will  wait  here  for  a  few  minute?  I 
will  speak  to  the  colonel. " 

In  a  short  time  the  magistrate  returned,  saying  that 
Mr.  Harvey's  six  wagons  might  join  the  baggage-train  of- 
the  Ninety-fourth  on  the  following  morning. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  Ninety-fourth  marched  from 
Leydenberg,  and  Mr.  Harvey's  wagons  fell  in  the  rear  of 
the  column.  As  they  had  a  considerable  amount  of  bag- 
gage and  stores,  the  column  would  not  proceed  at  a 
faster  rate  than  the  ordinary  pace  of  the  bullock-train. 

When  the  column  was  once  on  the  march  the  colonel  I 
rode  down  the  line  and  entered  into  conversation  with 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  205 

Mr.  Harvey  and  the  lads,  who  were  riding  with  him,  and 
after  having  heard  the  narrative  of  the  fight  with  the 
Boers,  he  said  to  the  lads,  "You  have  had  a  baptism  of 
fire  early.' ' 

Mr.  Harvey  smiled. 

"They  have  had  some  very  much  more  serious  fighting 
in  the  country  north  of  the  Limpopo;  besides,  they  were 
both  present  at  Isandula,  Kambula,  and  Ulundi." 

"Indeed!"  the  colonel  said;  "then  they  have  seen 
lighting.  Perhaps  you  will  ride  on  with  me  to  the  head 
of  the  column  again;  we  have  a  long  day's  march  before 
us,  and  if  your  young  friends  will  give  us  some  of  their 
experiences  it  will  while  away  the  time." 

The  four  cantered  together  to  the  head  of  the  column, 
where  the  doctor  and  one  or  two  other  officers  were  rid- 
ing. After  a  word  or  two  of  introduction  the  colonel 
asked  the  lads  to  tell  them  how  they  came  to  be  at 
Isandula,  and  how  they  escaped  to  tell  the  tale. 

"You  had  better  tell  it,  Dick,"  Tom  said;  "you  are  a 
better  hand  at  talking  than  I." 

Dick  accordingly  proceeded  to  relate  their  adventures 
during  the  Zulu  war,  and  the  story  excited  great  interest 
among  the  officers.  When  the  column  halted  for  the 
day  the  colonel  invited  Mr.  Harvey  and  the  lads  to  dine 
at  the  mess,  and  would  not  listen  to  any  excuse  on  the 
ground  that  their  clothes  were  better  suited  for  travel- 
ing among  the  native  tribes  than  for  dining  at  a  regi- 
mental mess. 

The  dinner  was  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  after  the 
cloth  had  been  removed  and  cigars  were  lit,  Mr.  Harvey, 
afc  the  colonel's  request,  related  their  adventures  north 
of  the  Limpopo. 

"Your  life  is  indeed  an  adventurous  one,"  he  said, 
when  the  trader  had  finished.  "It  needs  endurance, 
pluck,  coolness,  and  a  steady  finger  on  the  trigger.    You 


206  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

may  truly  be  said,  indeed,  to  carry  your  lives  in  your 
hands." 

"Our  present  journey  has  been  an  exceptionally -ad- 
venturous one,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "and  you  must  not 
suppose  that  we  are  often  in  the  habit  of  fighting  our 
way.  I  have  indeed  on  several  occasions  been  in  very 
perilous  positions,  and  some  other  evening,  before  we 
separate,  I  shall  be  glad,  if  it  will  interest  you,  to  relate 
one  or  two  of  them." 

"By  the  way,"  the  colonel  said,  when  they  took  their 
leave,  "remember,  the  word  for  the  night  is,  'Newcas- 
tle.' 'You  will  probably  be  challenged  several  times  by 
sentries  before  you  get  to  your  wagons,  for  although 
there  is  no  absolute  insurrection  at  present,  there  is  no 
saying  when  the  Boers  may  break  out.  They  will  hardly 
think  of  attacking  a  body  of  troops  marching  peaceably 
along;  still,  it  is  as  well  to  neglect  no  precautions.  If  you 
are  challenged,  'Who  comes  there?'  you  will  reply, 
'Friends.'  The  sentry  will  then  say,  'Advance  and  give 
^the  word.'  You  walk  forward  and  say,  'Newcastle,'  and 
you  will  pass  all  right." 

The  march  was  continued  for  four  days.  At  the  end 
of  this  time  they  arrived  at  the  spot  where  the  direct 
road  for  Pieter-Maritzburg  through  Utrecht  left  that 
which  they  were  following. 

"Look  here,  lads,"  Mr.  Harvey  said;  "this  road  will 
take  you  considerably  out  of  your  way.  If  you  like  you 
can  follow  the  column  for  another  couple  of  days.  Youj 
will  then  cross  the  south  road,  and  can  there  leave  themjj 
and  gallop  on  by  yourselves  to  Standerton  in  one  day,; 
and  home  the  next.  That  will  take  you  back  by  the  23d;; 
whereas,  if  you  go  on  with  me,  you  will  not  be  back  by 
New  Year's  Day.  We  are  getting  now  to  a  part  of  the,! 
colony  where  the  English  element  is  pretty  strong,  an( 
the  Boers  are  not  likely  to  be  troublesome;  so  I  bhall 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  207 

have  no  difficulty  in  passing  down  with  the  wagons. 
You  can  tell  your  fathers  that  we  have  had  a  most  satis- 
factory trip,  and  I  expect  when  I  have  sold  our  goods  at 
Durban  they  will  have  good  reason  to  be  coutent." 

The  lads  gladly  accepted  the  offer;  they  were  longing 
to  be  at  home  again,  and  especially  wished  to  be  back  by 
Christmas. 

The  colonel  on  hearing  of  the  arrangement  heartily 
invited  the  lads  to  mess  with  the  regiment  for  the  time 
that  they  continued  with  them,  and  offered  to  have  a 
spare  tent  pitched  for  their  accommodation. 


208  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS, 


CHAPTEK  XVII. 

A  TERRIBLE  JOURNEY. 

That  evening  Mr.  Harvey  and  the  lads  were  again  in- 
vited to  dine  at  mess,  and  after  dinner  the  colonel  asked 
Mr.  Harvey  if  he  would  be  good  enough  to  tell  them 
some  of  his  adventures  in  the  interior. 

"I  have  had  so  many/'  the  trader  said,  "that  I  hardly 
know  which  would  be  most  interesting.     I  have  been 
many  times  attacked  by  the  natives,  but  I  do  not  know 
that  any  of  these  affairs  were  so  interesting  as  the  fight 
we  had  in  the  defile  the  other  day.     Some  of  the  worst 
adventures  which  we  have  to  go  through  are  those  occa- 
sioned by  want  of  water.     I  have  had  several  of  these, 
but  the  worst  was  one  which  befell  me  on  one  of  my 
earliest  trips  up  the  country.     On  this  occasion  I  did  not 
as  usual  accompany  my  father,  but  went  with  a  trader* 
named  MacGregor,  a  Scotchman,  as  my  father  was  ill  at 
the  time.     He  considered  me  too  young  to  go  by  myself, 
and  when  he  proposed  to  MacGregor  that  I  should  join 
him  with  the  usual  number  of  wagons  he  sent  up,  Mac- 
Gregor objected,  saying— I  have  no  doubt  with  justice—- 
that  the  double  amount  of  goods  would  be  more  than.j 
could    be  disposed   of.     He  added,  however,   that   he 
should  be  glad  if  I  would  accompany  him  with  a  couplt 
of  wagons.     It  was,  as  it  turned  out,  a  very  good  thin| 
for  my  father  that  his  venture  was  such  a  small  ont 
MacGregor  was  a  keen  trader;  he  understood  the  native 
character  well  and  was  generally  very  successful  in  his 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  20» 

ventures.  His  failing  was  that  he  was  an  obstinate,  pig- 
headed man,  very  positive  in  his  own  opinions,  and  dis- 
trusting all  advice  given  him. 

"Our  trip  had  been  a  successful  one.  We  penetrated 
very  far  in  the  interior,  and  disposed  of  all  our  goods. 
When  we  had  done  so,  we  started  to  strike  down  to 
Kimberley  across  a  little-known  and  very  sandy  district. 
The  natives  among  whom  we  were  endeavored  to  dis- 
suade MacGregor  from  making  the  attempt,  saying  that 
the  season  was  a  very  dry  one,  that  many  of  the  pools 
were  empty,  and  that  there  would  be  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  water.  MacGregor  disregarded  the- 
advice.  By  taking  the  direct  route  south  he  would  save 
some  hundreds  of  miles.  He  said  that  other  caravans 
had  at  different  times  taken  this  route  in  safety,  and  at 
the  same  time  of  the  year.  He  insisted  that  the  season 
had  not  been  a  particularly  dry  one,  an*  that  he  was  not 
going  to  be  frightened  by  old  women's  tales.  The 
natives  were  always  croaking  about  something,  but  he- 
did  not  mean  to  lose  a  month  of  his  time  for  nothing. 

"Accordingly  we  started.  The  really  bad  part  of  our 
journey  was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  across  a- 
sandy  country,  with  low  scrub.  The  bullocks,  when 
driven  to  it,  would  eat  the  leaves  of  this  scrub,  so  that 
we  did  not  anticipate  any  difficulty  in  the  way  of  forage. 
In  the  wet  season  many  streams  run  across  the  country 
and  find  their  way  into  the  Limpopo.  In  summer  they 
dry  up,  and  water  is  only  obtained  in  pools  along  their 
courses.  There  were  twelve  wagons  in  the  caravan — tea 
belonging  to  MacGregor,  and  my  two.  I  had  with  me  a 
servant,  a  native,  who  had  been  for  years  in  the  employ- 
ment of  my  father,  a  very  faithful  and  trustworthy 
fellow. 

"At  the  end  of  the  first  day's  march  of  fifteen  miles, 
•we  found  water  at  the  snot  to  which  our  native  guide  led 


210  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

us. .  The  second  day  the  pool  was  found  to  be  dry.  We 
got  there  early,  having  started  before  daybreak,  for  the 
heat  was  tremendous.  On  finding  the  pool  empty  I  rode 
ten  miles  down  the  course  of  the  stream,  and  Mac- 
Oregor  as  far  up  it,  but  found  no  water,  and  on  getting 
back  to  the  camp  the  oxen  were  inspanned,  and  we  made 
another  march;  here  we  found  water,  and  halted  next 
day. 

"So  we  went  on  until  we  were  halfway  across  the 
desert.  Several  of  the  marches  had  been  double  ones, 
the  track  was  heavy  from  the  deep  sand,  some  of  the 
oxen  had  died,  and  all  were  much  reduced  in  strength. 
Although  MacGregor  was  not  a  man  to  allow  that  he  had 
been  wrong,  I  saw  that  he  was  anxious,  and  before  ad- 
vancing he  sent  on  a  horseman  and  the  native  guide  two 
days'  journey  to  ses  how  the  water  held  out.  On  their 
return  they  reported  that  twenty  miles  in  front  there 
was  a  pool  of  good  water,  and  that  thirty  miles  further 
there  was  a  small  supply,  which  was,  however,  rapidly 
drying  up.  MacGregor  determined  to  push  on.  The 
first  day's  march  was  got  through,  athough  five  or  six 
more  oxen  dropped  by  the  way.  The  second  was  a  ter- 
rible march;  I  have  never  known  a  hotter  day  in  South 
Africa,  and  one  felt  blinded  and  crushed  by  the  heat. 
The  weakened  teams  could  scarcely  draw  the  wagons 
along,  and  by  nightfall  but  half  the  journey  had  been 
performed.  The  oxen  were  turned  loose  and  allowed  for 
an  hour  or  two  to  crop  the  bush;  then  they  were  in- 
spanned  again.  All  night  long  we  continued  our  march; 
when,  just  at  sunrise,  we  got  to  the  place  where  water 
had  been  found,  the  pool  was  empty — the  two  days'  sun 
since  the  horseman  had  been  there  had  completely  dried 
it  up.  We  set  to  work  to  dig  a  hole;  but  the  sand  was 
shallow,  the  rock  lying  but  a  foot  or  two  below,  and  we 
only  got  a  few  buckets  of  water,  but  just  enough  to  give 


THE  TOUNG  COLONISTS.  211 

a  swallow  to  each  of  the  oxen  and  horses.  Again  we* 
searched  far  up  and  down  the  course  of  the  stream,  but 
without  success;  we  dug  innumerable  holes  in  its  bed,, 
but  without  finding  water. 

"We  were  still  fifty  miles  from  safety;  but  in  that 
fifty  miles  the  natives  said  that  they  did  not  think  a  drop 
of  water  would  be  found,  as  this  was  notoriously  the 
driest  point  on  the  route.  Half  the  oxen  had  now  died, 
and  MacGregor  determined  to  leave  all  but  two  of  the 
wagons  behind,  to  harness  teams  of  the  strongest  of 
those  remaining,  and  to  drive  the  rest  alongside.  We 
halted  till  night  to  allow  the  animals  to  feed,  and  then 
started.  We  got  on  fanly  enough  until  daybreak;  then, 
the  sun  rose,  and  poured  down  upon  us.  It  was  a  ter- 
rible day.  No  one  spoke  and  the  creaking  of  the  wheels 
of  the  wagons  was  the  only  sound  to  be  heard.  Every 
mile  we  went  the  numbers  lessened,  as  the  bullocks  lay 
down  to  die  by  the  way.  My  tongue  seemed  to  cleave  to* 
the  roof  of  my  mouth,  and  the  sun  to  scorch  up  my 
brain.  I  hardly  took  notice  of  what  was  going  on  around 
me,  but  let  the  reins  hang  loose  on  my  horse's  neck. 
Several  times  he  stumbled,  and  at  last  fell  heavily.  I 
picked  myself  up  from  the  sands,  and  saw  that  he  was? 
dying.  The  wagons  had  come  to  a  standstill  now,  and  I 
had,  I  saw,  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  mile  gone  on  alone. 
I  looked  at  my  watch;  it  was  four  o'clock,  and  I  turned 
and  walked  slowly  back  to  the  Wigons.  The  drivers  had 
tmroped  the  oxen,  but  most  of  them  lay  where  they  had 
halted,  incapable  of  rising  to  their  feet;  others  had  tot- 
tered to  the  shade  cast  by  the  wagons,  and  had  thrown 
themselves  down  there.  The  drivers  were  lying  among 
them.  As  I  came  up  MacG*-  gir  staggered  toward  mej 
he  was  chewing  a  handful  Oj.  1  aves.  'I  have  been  wrong, 
Harvey,'  he  said,  in  a  hoarse  voice,  'and  it  has  cost  us  all 
our  lives.     Say  you  forgive  me,  my  boy.'     'I  forgive  you 


212  THE  TOUNQ  COLONISTS. 

ieartily,'  I  said;  'you  thought  it  was  for  the  best.'  I 
(■don't  remember  much  more.  I  lay  down  and  wondered 
vaguely  what  had  become  of  my  man,  whom  I  had  noi 
seen  since  we  started  on  the  previous  evening. 

"The  next  thing  I  remember  was  that  it  was  night. 
I  got  up  on  my  feet  and  staggered  to  a  bullock  that  I 
heard  faintly  groaning;  I  cut  a  vein  in  his  neck  and 
sucked  the  blood,  and  then  started  to  walk;  fortunately, 
as  it  turned  out,  I  had  not  gone  a  hundred  yards  when  a 
dizziness  came  over  me,  and  I  fell  again  to  the  ground. 
I  must  have  lain  there  for  some  hours;  when  I  became 
conscious  water  was  being  poured  between  my  lips.  I 
soon  recovered  sufficiently  to  sit  up,  and  found  that  it 
was  my  faithful  man.  When  the  caravan  started  from 
"the  last  halting-place  he  had  seen  that  it  was  impossible 
for  it  to  reach  its  journey's  end,  and  although,  like  the 
rest,  he  was  exhausted  and  worn  out,  he  had  started  at 
full  speed  alone,  and  by  morning  reached  water,  having 
■traveled  fifty  miles  in  the  night.  It  was  midday  before 
he  succeeded  in  finding  a  native  kraal;  then  by  promise 
■of  a  large  reward  he  induced  forty  men,  each  laden  with 
a  heavy  skin  of  water,  to  start  with  him,  and  at  three  in 
the  morning  reached  the  camp;  fortunately  he  stumbled 
.across  me  just  before  he  got  there. 

"The  assistance  arrived  in  time.  Two  of  the  drivers 
ivere  found  to  be  dead,  but  MacGregor  and  the  other 
Tiands,  sixteen  in  number,  were  all  brought  round.  The 
supply  carried  by  the  natives  was  sufficient  to  give  an 
ample  drink  to  the  eighteen  oxen  which  were  still  alive. 
A  feed  of  maize  was  then  given  to  each,  but  as  they  were 
too  weak  to  drag  even  one  of  the  wagons  they  were 
driven  on  ahead,  and  most  of  them  got  over  the  twenty- 
five  miles  which  still  separated  them  from  water.  We 
halted  there  a  week,  to  allow  the  animals  to  recover; 
then,  carrying  skins  of  water  for  their  supply  on  the 


TEE  YGTTNG  COLONISTS.  21& 

way,  they  went  back  and  brought  in  the  two  wagons^, 
one  at  a  time.  With  these  I  came  down  to  the  colony. 
MacGregor  remained  behind,  and  directly  the  rain  set  in 
went  up  with  native  cattle  and  brought  down  the  other- 
wagons,  all  the  valuable  contents  of  which,  however,  had 
in  the  intervening  time  been  carried  off  by  natives.  It 
was  a  near  squeak,  wasn't  it?  MacGregor  was  never  the 
same  man  again,  and  shortly  after  his  return  to  Natal  he 
sold  off  his  wagons  and  went  back  to  Scotland.  Being* 
young  and  strong  I  soon  recovered  from  my  privation." 

"Lions  are  very  abundant  in  some  parts  of  the  inte- 
rior, are  they  not,  Mr.  Harvey?"  one  of  the  officers, 
asked,  after  they  had  thanked  the  trader  for  his  story. 

"Extraordinarily  so,"  Mr.  Harvey  replied;  "in  fact  it 
has  long  been  a  puzzle  among  us  how  such  vast  quantities, 
could  find  food — in  no  other  country  in  the  world  could 
they  do  so ;  but  here  the  abundance  of  deer  is  so  great, 
that  the  lions  are  able  to  kill  vast  numbers,  without  mak- 
ing any  great  impression  upon  them." 

"But  I  should  not  have  thought,"  an  officer  said,, 
"that  a  lion  could  run  down  a  deer!" 

"He  cannot,"  Mr.  Harvey  said,  "except  for  short  dis- 
tances. The  South  African  lion  is  a  lighter  and  more 
active  beast  than  the  northern  lion,  and  can  for  the  first 
hundred  yards  run  with  prodigious  swiftness,  taking; 
long  bounds  like  a  cat.  Stealing  through  the  long  grass, 
and  keeping  to  leeward  of  the  herd,  he  will  crawl  up  to 
within  a  short  distance  unperceived,  and  then  with  half 
a  dozen  tremendous  bounds  he  is  among  them  before 
they  have  fairly  time  to  get  up  their  full  speed.  They 
hunt  too  in  regular  packs;  twenty  or  thirty  of  them  will 
surround  a  herd,  and  gradually  lessening  their  circle 
close  upon  their  affrighted  prey,  who  stand  paralyzed 
with  fear  until  the  lions  are  fairly  among  them. 

"I  was  once  surrounded  by  them  and  had  a  very  nar- 


214  THE  TGVNG  COLONISTS. 

row  escape  of  my  life.  I  had  left  my  wagons  at  a  large 
itative  village  and  had  ridden — accompanied  only  by  my 
native  servant — some  fifty  miles  across  the  country  to 
another  tribe,  to  see  whether  they  had  lately  been  visited 
by  any  traders,  and  whether  they  had  goods  to  dispose 
of.  I  reached  the  kraal  in  the  morning,  and  the  palaver 
with  the  chief  as  usual  wasted  the  best  part  of  the  day; 
it  was  nearly  dark  when  I  started,  but  I  was  accustomed 
to  ride  by  the  light  of  the  stars,  and  had  no  fear  of  miss- 
ing my  way.  I  had  been  only  two  hours  on  the  road 
when  the  sky  became  overcast,  and  half  an  hour  later  a 
tremendous  storm  burst.  Having  now  no  index  for 
■directing  my  way  I  found  that  it  was  useless  to  proceed; 
the  plain  was  open,  but  1  knew  that  a  good-sized  river 
ran  a  short  distance  to  the  north,  so  I  turned  my  horse's 
hea,(\  in  that  direction,  knowing  that  on  a  river-bank  I 
was  'ikely  to  meet  with  trees.-  Several  times  I  missed 
my  w^y  in  the  driving  rain,  for  the  wind  shifted  fre- 
quently, and  that  was  of  course  the  only  guide  I  had. 

"At  last,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  I  struck  upon  the 
river  and  kept  along  its  bank  until  I  came  to  a  large 
olump  of  trees;  here  we  unsaddled  our  horses,  picked 
out  a  comparatively  dry  spot  under  a  big  tree,  which 
stood  just  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  wrapped  ourselves  in 
our  rugs,  and  prepared  to  pass  the  night  as  comfortably 
as  we  could.  The  river  was  high,  and  my  only  fear  was 
that  it  might  overflow  its  banks  and  set  us  afloat  before 
morning.  However,  we  had  not  been  there  long  before 
the  rain  ceased,  the  sky  cleared,  and  the  stars  came  out 
again;  but  as  the  horses  had  done  a  long  day's  work  on 
the  previous  day,  I  determined  to  remain  where  I  was 
until  morning.  Having  been  in  the  saddle  all  the  pre- 
vious night,  I  slept  heavily. 

The  wind  was  still  blowing  strongly,  and  I  suppose 
that  the  noise  in  the  trees,  and  the  lapping  of  the  water 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  215 

by  the  bank  close  by,  prevented  my  hearing  the  stamp- 
ing of  the  horses,  which,  under  ordinary  circumstances, 
would  certainly  have  warned  me  of  the  approaching 
danger.  Suddenly  I  awoke  with  a  terrific  uproar.  I 
sprang  to  my  feet,  but  was  instantly  knocked  down  and 
a  beast  I  knew  to  be  a  lion  seized  me  by  the  left  shoul- 
der. My  revolver  was,  as  always,  in  my  belt;  I  drew  it 
out,  and  fired  into  the  brute's  eye;  his  jaw  relaxed,  and 
I  knew  the  shot  was  fatal.  A  terrible  din  was  going  on 
all  round;  there  was  light  enough  for  me  to  see  that  both 
the  horses  had  been  pulled  to  the  ground;  two  lions 
were  rending  the  body  of  my  servant,  and  others  were 
approaching  with  loud  roars.  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and 
climbed  up  into  the  tree,  just  as  two  more  lions  arrived 
upon  the  spot.  My  servant  had  not  uttered  a  cry,  and 
was,  I  have  no  doubt,  struck  dead  at  once.  The  horses 
ceased  to  struggle  by  the  time  I  gained  my  tree.  At 
least  twenty  lions  gathered  round,  and  growled  and  quar- 
reled over  the  carcasses  of  the  horses.  When  they  had 
finished  these  they  walked  round  and  round  the  tree, 
roaring  horridly;  some  of  them  reared  themselves  against 
the  trunk,  as  if  they  would  try  to  climb  it,  but  the  lion 
is  not  a  tree-climber,  and  I  had  not  much  fear  that  they 
would  make  the  attempt.  I  hoped  that  in  the  morning 
they  would  move  off;  but  they  had  clearly  no  intention 
of  doing  so,  for  as  it  became  daylight  they  retired  a 
short  distance  and  then  either  lay  down  or  sat  upon  their 
haunches  in  a  semicircle  fifty  yards  distant,  watching 
me. 

"So  the  whole  day  passed;  I  had  only  the  four  shots" 
left  in  my  revolver,  for  my  spare  ammunition  was  in  the 
holster  of  my  saddle,  and  even  had  I  had  a  dozen  revol- 
vers I  could  have  done  nothing  against  them.  At  night 
they  again  came  up  to  the  tree,  and  in  hopes  of  fright- 
ening them  off  I  descended  to  the  lower  branches,  and 


316  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

fired  my  remaining  shots  at  brutes  rearing  up  against  it. 
As  I  aimed  in  each  case  at  the  eye,  and  the  muzzle  of 
my  pistol  was  within  four  feet  of  their  heads,  the  shots 
were  fatal;  but  the  only  result  was  that  the  lions  with- 
drew for  a  short  distance,  and  renewed  their  guard 
Tound  the  tree. 

"You  will  wonder  perhaps  why  all  this  time  I  did  not 
take  to  the  water;  but  lions,  although,  like  all  the  cat 
tribe,  disliking  water,  will  cross  rivers  by  swimming,  and 
they  seemed  so  pertinacious  that  I  feared  they  might  fol- 
low me.  Toward  morning,  however,  I  determined  on 
risking  it,  and  creeping  out  to  the  end  of  a  branch  which 
overhung  the  river  I  dropped  in.  The  stream  was  run- 
ning strong,  and  I  kept  under  water,  swimming  down 
with  it  as  hard  as  I  possibly  could.  When  I  came  up  I 
glanced  back  at  the  tree  I  had  quitted.  The  lions  we/e 
gathered  on  the  bank,  roaring  loudly  and  lashing  their 
tails  with  every  sign  of  excitement,  looking  at  the  wat*er 
where  they  had  seen  me  disappear.  I  have  not  the  least 
doubt  but  that  they  would  have  jumped  in  after  me,  had 
I  not  dived.  I  took  this  in  at  a  glance,  and  then  we;at 
under  again,  and  so  continued  diving  until  I  was  sure 
that  I  was  beyond  the  sight  of  the  lions;  then  I  made  for 
the  bank  as  quickly  as  possible.  The  river  swarmed  with 
crocodiles,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  muddiness  of  the 
water  I  should  probably  have  been  snapped  up  within  a 
minute  or  two  of  entering  it. 

"It  was  with  a  feeling  of  deep  thankfulness  that  I 
crawled  out  and  lay  down  in  a  clump  of  reeds  half  a 
mile  beyond  the  spot  where  the  lions  were  looking  for 
me.  When  the  sun  got  high  I  felt  sure  that  they  would 
have  dispersed  as  usual,  and  returned  to  their  shelter  for 
the  day,  and  I  therefore  started  on  foot,  and  reached  my 
camp  late  at  night. 

"The  next  day  we  got  in  motion,  and  when  three  days 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  21? 

later  we  arrived  at  the  kraal  from  which  we  had  started,  I- 
rode  over  to  the  tree  and  recovered  my  revolver  and. 
saddles.  Not  even  a  bone  remained  of  the  carcasses  of 
the  horses,  or  of  my  native  attendant." 

"That  was  a  very  nasty  adventure,"  the  colonel  said. 
"Is  it  a  common  thing,  caravans  being  attacked  by 
lions?" 

"A  very  common  thing,"  the  trader  replied;  "indeed 
in  certain  parts  of  the  country  such  attacks  are  con- 
stantly made,  and  the  persistency  with  which  the  lions, 
in  spite  of  the  severe  lessons  they  have  received  of  th& 
deadly  effect  of  firearms,  yet  continue  to  attack  cara- 
vans is  a  proof  that  they  must  often  be  greatly  oppressed 
by  hunger."  n 

"Which  do  they  seem  to  prefer,"  one  of  the  officers- 
asked,  "human  beings  or  cattle?" 

"They  kill  fifty  oxen  to  one  human  being;  but  this 
probably  arises  from  the  fact  that  in  the  lion-country  the 
drivers  always  sleep  round  large  fires  in  the  center  of  the 
cattle.  I  think  that  by  preference  the  lions  attack  the 
horses,  because  these  are  more  defenseless;  the  cattle 
sometimes  make  a  good  fight.  I  have  seen  them  when, 
loose  forming  a  circle  with  their  heads  outside,  showing 
such  a  formidable  line  of  horns  that  the  lions  have  not. 
ventured  to  attack  them.  Once  or  twice  I  have  seen 
single  oxen,  when  attacked  by  solitary  lions,  come  out 
victors  in  the  assault.  As  the  lion  walked  round  and 
round,  the  bullock  continued  to  face  him,  and  I  have 
then  often  seen  them  receive  the  spring  upon  their 
horns,  and  hurl  the  lion  wounded  and  half-stunned  yards 
away.  Once  I  saw  both  die  together — the  bullock  with 
one  of  his  horns  driven  into  the  lion's  chest,  while  the 
latter  fixed  his  teeth  in  the  bullock's  neck,  and  tore 
away  with  his  claws  at  its  side,  until  both  fell  dead 
together." 


518  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

"It  must  be  a  grand  country  for  sport,"  one  of  the 
■officers  said. 

"It  is  that!"  t*he  trader  replied.  "I  wonder  some- 
times that  gentlemen  in  England,  who  spend  great  sums 
every  year  in  deer-forests  and  grouse-moors,  do  not  more 
often  come  out  for  a  few  months'  shooting  here.  The 
voyage  is  a  pleasant  one,  and  although  the  journey  up 
■country  to  the  interior  of  course  takes  some  time,  the 
trip  would  be  a  novel  one,  and  every  comfort  could  be 
■carried  in  the  wagons;  while  the  sport,  when  the  right 
country  was  reached,  would  be  more  abundant  and 
varied  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.  Lions  may 
be  met,  deer  of  numerous  kinds,  giraffes,  hippopotami, 
•crocodiles,  and  many  other  animals,  not  to  mention  an 
occasional  gallop  after  ostriches.  The  expenses,  more- 
over, would  not  be  greater  than  the  rental  and  keep  of  a 
•deer-forest." 

"Yes,  I  am  surprised  myself  that  more  sportsmen  do 
not  come  out  here.  In  odd  times,  too,  they  could  get 
good  fishing." 

"Excellent,"  the  trader  replied;  "some  of  the  rivers 
literally  swarm  with  fish." 

"When  I  get  back  to  England,"  the  colonel  said,  "I 
must  advise  some  of  my  friends  to  try  it.  As  you  say, 
there  are  scores  of  men  who  spend  their  thousands  a 
year  on  deer-forests,  grouse-shooting,  and  horse-racing, 
.and  it  would  be  a  new  sensation  for  them  to  come  out 
for  a  few  months'  shooting  in  the  interior  of  Africa.  I 
must  not  tell  them  too  much  of  the  close  shaves  that  you 
and  your  friends  have  had.  A  spice  of  danger  adds  to 
the  enjoyment,  but  the  adventures  that  you  have  gone 
through  go  somewhat  beyond  the  point-*" 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  21$ 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  BOER  INSURRECTION. 

The  next  morning  the  lads  bade  farewell  to  Mr- 
Harvey  and  the  three  hunters,  and  then  rode  on  with  the 
regiment.  The  day  passed  as  quietly  as  the  preceding, 
ones  had  done. 

On  the  20th  the  column  was  marching  along  a  road 
commanded  on  both  sides  by  rising  ground.  The  troops; 
as  usual  were  marching  at  ease;  one  company  was  ahead 
of  the  line  of  wagons,  two  companies  marched  in  strag- 
gling order  by  the  side  of  the  long  teams,  and  the  fourth 
company  formed  the  rearguard. 

Suddenly,  without  the  slightest  warning,  a  flash  of 
fire  burst  from  the  edge  of  the  rise  at  either  side.  Num- 
bers of*  the  men  fell,  and  a  scene  of  the  wildest  confu- 
sion ensued.  Some  of  the  young  soldiers  ran  for  shelter 
underneath  the  wagons;  others  hastily  loaded  and  fired 
va.  the  direction  of  their  unseen  foes. 

The  colonel  and  officers  strove  to  steady  the  men,  and 
to  lead  them  up  the  slope  to  attack  the  Boers;  but  so 
deadly  was  the  fire  of  the  latter,  and  the  men  fell  in  such 
numbers,  that  the  colonel  soon  saw  that  resistance  was: 
hopeless.  Many  of  the  officers  were  killed  or  wounded 
by  the  first  fire,  and  in  five  minutes  after  the  first  shot, 
was  fired  one  hundred  and  twenty  men  were  killed  or 
wounded;  and  as  the  rest  could  not  bp  got  together  to 
charge  up  the  slope  under  the  deadly  fire  of  the  Boers, 
the  colonel,  who  was  himself  wounded,  surrendered  with 


:220  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

the  survivors  to  the  Boers.  Two  or  three  mounted 
officers  only  succeeded  in  getting  through. 

When  the  fire  opened  Dick  and  Tom  at  once  threw 
themselves  off  their  horses,  and  unslinging  their  rifles 
opened  fire.  When  they  saw  the  bewilderment  and  con- 
fusion, and  how  fast  the  men  were  dropping  under  the 
fire  of  the  Boers,  Dick  said  to  his  friend: 

"It  is  all  up,  Tom;  it  is  simply  a  massacre.  We  will 
wait  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  mount  pnd  make  a 
dash  for  it." 

Their  horses  were  both  lying  down  beside  them,  for 
the  lads  had  taught  them  to  do  this  at  the  word  of  com- 
mand, as  it  enabled"  them  often  when  out  hunting  to 
conceal  themselves  in  a  slight  depression  from  the  sight 
of  an  approaching  herd  of  deer.  Thus  they,  as  well  as 
their  masters,  remained  untouched  by  the  storm  of  bul- 
lets. The  Boers,  almost  concealed  from  view,  steadily 
picked  off  the  men. 

"It  is  of  no  use,  Tom;  let  us  mount  and  make  a  bolt 
for  it.  They  must  surrender  in  a  few  minutes,  or  not  a 
man  will  be  left  alive." 

They  gave  the  word  to  their  horses,  and  these  leaped 
to  their  feet,  and,  as  was  their  habit  in  the  chase,  dashed 
off  at  full  speed  the  instant  their  masters  were  in  the 
saddle.  Bending  low  on  the  necks  of  their  horses,  the 
lads  rode  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Several  bullets  came 
very  close  to  them,  but  keeping  closely  side  by  side,  to 
lessen  the  mark  they  presented  to  the  enemy,  they 
dashed  on  untouched.  Looking  round  when  they  had 
proceeded  some  little  distance,  they  saw  that  four  Boers 
had  mounted  and  were  in  hot  pursuit.  Their  horses 
were  good  ones,  in  capital  condition,  and  had  done  easy 
work  for  the  last  few  days.  The  Boers  also  were  well 
mounted,  and  for  three  or  four  miles  the  chase  con- 
tinued, the  Dutch  from  time  to  time  firing;  but  the  lada 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  22i» 

were  a  good  four  hundred  yards  ahead,  a  distance  beyond 
that  at  which  the  Boers  are  accustomed  to  shoot,  or 
■which  their  guns  will  carry  with  any  accuracy. 

"We  must  stop  this,"  Dick  said,  as  they  breasted  an 
ascent.  "If  they  should  happen  to  hit  one  of  our 
horses  it  would  be  all  up  with  us.  Dismount,  Tom,  as 
soon  as  you  are  over  the  rise." 

A«  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of  their  pursuers, 
they  reined  up  their  horses  and  dismounted.  They 
again  made  the  animals  lie  down,  and  throwing  them- 
selves behind  them,  rested  their  rifles  upon  them. 

The  Boers,  they  had  noticed,  were  not  all  together — ». 
twd^of  them  being  about  fifty  yards  ahead  of  the  others- 
At,  full  speed  the  leading  pursuers  dashed  for  the  rise;, 
as  they  came  fairly  in  view  they  were  but  fifty  yards- 
distant.  The  lads  and  their  horses  were  almost  hidden 
in  the  long  grass,  and  the  Boers  did  not  for  a  moment 
notice  them.  When  they  did  they  instantly  reined  in 
their  horses,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  lads  had  their 
rifles  fixed  upon  them,  the  two  shots  rang  out  together,, 
both  the  Boers  fell  lifeless  from  the  saddle,  and  the 
Dutch  horses  dashed  back  along  the  track  by  which  they 
had  come. 

The  lads  instantly  reloaded;  but  they  waited  in  vain 
for  the  coming  of  the  other  pursuers;  these  on  seeing 
the  horses  galloping  toward  them  after  the  shots  had 
been  fired  had  at  once  turned  and  rode  off.  After  wait- 
ing for  a  little  time  to  be  sure  that  they  were  not  going; 
to  be  attacked,  the  friends  mounted  and  rode  on.  They 
did  not  retrace  their  steps  to  see  what  had  become  of  the; 
other  pursuers,  as  it  was  possible  that  these  had  imitated 
their  own  tactics,  and  were  lying  down  by  their  horses,, 
waiting  to  get  a  shot  at  them,  should  they  ride  back- 
They  now  continued  their  journey  at  an  easy  canter,  and 
late  in  the  evening  entered  the  little  town  of  Standerton. 


222  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

JStanderton  presented  a  scene  of  unusual  excitement; 
teams  of  wagons  filled  its  streets,  armed  men  moved 
;about  and  talked  excitedly,  numbers  of  cattle  and  horses 
under  the  charge  of  Kaffirs  occupied  every  spare  place 
near  the  town — it  was  an  exodus.  The  loyal  Boers,  who 
were  at  that  time  in  an  absolute  majority  throughout  the 
colony,  were  many  of  them  moving  across  the  frontier, 
<to  escape  the  conflict  which  they  saw  approaching. 

The  more  enlightened  among  these  people  had  been 
fully  conscious  of  the  shortcomings  of  their  own  govern- 
ment, prior  to  the  annexation  to  England.  Short  as  had 
been  the  period  that  had  elapsed  since  that  event,  the 
benefits  which  had  accrued  to  the  country  had  been  im- 
mense. The  value  of  land  had  risen  fourfold;  English 
traders  had  opened  establishments  in  every  village,  and 
the  Dutch  obtained  far  higher  prices  than  before  for 
their  produce,  with  a  corresponding  reduction  in  that  of 
the  articles  which  they  had  to  purchase.  Peaceable  men 
were  no  longer  harassed  by  being  summoned  to  take  part 
in  commandos  or  levies  for  expeditions  against  the 
natives.  The  feeling  of  insecurity  from  the  threatening 
attitude  of  the  Zulus  and  other  warlike  neighbors  was  at 
an  end,  as  was  the  danger  of  a  general  rising  among  the 
natives  in  the  colony,  who  outnumbered  the  Boers  by 
ten  to  one. 

Thus  the  wiser  heads  among  the  Boers  bitterly  re- 
gretted the  movement  which  had  commenced  for  the 
renewed  independence  of  the  country.  They  did  not 
believe  that  it  would  be  successful,  because  they  could 
not  suppose  that  England,  having,  by  the  repeated 
assertions  of  its  representatives  that  the  annexation  was 
final  and  absolute,  induced  thousands  of  Englishmen  to 
purchase  land,  erect  trading  establishments,  and  embark 
their  capital  in  the  country,  could  ever  desert  and  ruin 
them.     They  foresaw,  moreover,  that  even  should  the 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  223? 

rebellion  be  successful  it  would  throw  the  country  back, 
a  century,  the  rising  trade  would  be  nipped  in  the  bud, 
the  English  colonists  would  leave  the  country,  the  price 
of  land  would  again  fall  to  a  nominal  sura,  the  old  diffi- 
culties of  raising  taxes  to  carry  on  the  government  would 
recur,  and  restless  spirits  would  again  be  carrying  out 
lawless  raids  upon  the  natives,  and  involving  them  in. 
difficulties  and  dangers. 

Further  north  the  loyal  portion  of  the  Dutch  remained 
quiet  during  the  trouble;  but  around  Standerton,  Utrecht, 
and  other  places  near  the  frontier  large  numbers  of  their* 
crossed  into  Natal,  with  their  wives  and  families,  their 
cattle  and  horses,  and  there  remained  until  the  end  of 
the  war.  The  English  settlers,  almost  to  a  man,  aban- 
doned their  farms,  and  either  retired  into  Natal  or 
assembled  in  the  towns  and  formed  themselves  with  the 
traders  there  into  corps  for  their  defense.  The  manner 
in  which  throughout  the  war  these  little  bodies  uniformly- 
succeeded  in  repulsing  every  attempt  of  the  Boers  to  cap- 
ture the  towns  showed  how  easily  the  latter  could  have 
been  defeated  had  the  British  government  acted  with 
energy  when  a  sufficient  force  had  been  collected  on  the 
frontier,  instead  of  losing  heart  and  surrendering  at. 
discretion.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  had  the 
British  government  stood  altogether  aloof,  the  colony  of 
Natal,  with  the  English  settlers  and  loyal  Boers,  could 
single-handed  have  put  down  the  insurrection  in  the 
Transvaal. 

The  news  which  the  lads  brought  to  Standerton  of  the 
unprovoked  attack  upon,  and  massacre  of,  the  Ninety- 
fourth  caused  a  wild  feeling  of  excitement.  A  crowd 
rapidly  gathered  round  the  lads,  and  so  great  was  the 
anxiety  to  hear  what  had  taken  place  that  Dick  waa 
obliged  to  mount  on  a  wagon,  and  to  relate  the  whole 
circumstances  to  the  crowd. 


:224  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Englishmen  living  at  home  in  the  happy  conviction 
that  their  own  is  the  greatest  of  nations  can  form  little 
:idea  of  the  feelings  of  men  in  a  colony  like  the  Cape, 
where  our  rule  is  but  half-consolidated,  and  where  a 
Dutch  population,  equal  in  numbers,  are  sullenly  hostile 
or  openly  insolent.  The  love  of  the  old  flag  and  the 
pride  of  nationality  are  there  very  different  feelings 
from  the  dull  and  languid  sentiment  at  home;  and  the 
news  of  this  bloody  massacre,  at  a  time  when  hostilities 
had  not  commenced  on  either  side,  and  when  no  overt 
act  of  rebellion  had  taken  place,  caused  every  eye  to 
flash,  and  the  blood  to  run  hotly  in  men's  veins. 

Those  who  had  hitherto  counseled  that  the  English 
settlers  should  remain  neutral  in  the  contest  were  now 
as  eager  as  the  rest  in  their  demands  that  the  place 
should  be  defended.  There  was  but  one  company  of 
British  troops  in  the  town;  but  within  an  hour  of  the 
story  of  the  massacre  being  known  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men  had  put  down  their  names  to  form  a  corps;  officers 
were  chosen,  and  these  at  once  waited  upon  the  captain 
In  command  of  the  troops,  and  placed  themselves  under 
his  orders. 

The  next  morning  scores  of  men  set  to  work  throwing 
xip  a  breastwork  round  the  place,  catting  holes  in  the 
walls  and  houses  for  musketry,  and  preparing  to  defend 
the  little  town  to  the  last  against  any  attack  of  the  Boers. 

The  moment  that  he  had  heard  from  the  lads  of  the 
"disaster  to  the  Ninety-fourth,  the  officer  in  command 
•dispatched  a  horseman  to  carry  the  news  at  full  speed 
to  Sir  G.  Pomeroy  Colley,  who  was  advancing  toward 
Newcastle  with  the  troops  from  Natal. 

The  same  night  a  messenger  rode  in,  saying  that  the 
Boers  had  raised  theit  flag  at  Pretoria,  had  killed  sev- 
eral English  there,  and  were  preparing  to  attack  the 
Ilittle  British  force  encamped  at  a  small  distance  from 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  225 

the  town;  that  at  Potchefstroom  they  had  also  attacked 
the  troops;  and  that  the  insurrection  was  general. 

The  next  morning  the  lads  mounted  and  proceeded  on 
their  way,  and  reached  home  late  that  evening,  to  the 
immense  delight  of  their  parents. 

The  news  of  the  rising  created  a  fever  of  excitement 
throughout  Natal.  H.M.S.  Boadicea  landed  a  rocket- 
battery  and  a  naval  brigade,  who  at  once  marched  up 
toward  the  front;  and  Sir  G.  P.  Colley,  who  commanded 
the  forces,  hurried  every  available  man  toward  Newcas- 
tle, as  the  Boers  were  advancing  in  force  toward  the 
irontier,  and  were  preparing  to  invade  Natal. 

Every  day  brought  fresh  news  from  the  Transvaal. 
The  little  towns  where  the  British  were  centered,  isolated 
and  alone  as  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  hostile  country, 
in  every  case  prepared  to  defend  themselves  to  the  last; 
and  at  Potchefstroom,  Wackerstroom,  Standerton,  Ley- 
denberg,  and  other  places,  the  Boers,  attempting  to  carry 
the  towns,  were  vigorously  repulsed.  The  news  that  a 
large  force  of  Boers  was  marching  against  Newcastle 
caused  great  excitement  in  that  portion  of  Natal,  here 
large  numbers  of  Dutch  were  settled,  and  the  colonists 
were  consequently  divided  into  hostile  camps  Large 
numbers  of  British  colonists  sent  in  their  names  as  ready 
to  serve  against  the  Boers;  but  the  English  military 
authorities  unfortunately  declined  to  avail  themselves 
of  their  services,  on  the  ground  that  they  did  not  wish 
to  involve  the  colonists  in  a  struggle  which  was  purely 
an  imperial  one.  For,  were  they  to  do  so,  the  Dutch 
throughout  the  colony  and  in  the  Orange  Free  State 
might  also  join  in  the  struggle,  and  the  whole  of  South 
Africa  be  involved  in  a  civil  war. 

There  was  much  in  this  view  of  the  case;  but  had  a 
strong  corps  of  colonists  been  attached  to  the  force  of 
Oeneral  Colley,  it  is  pretty  certain  that  it  would  have 


226  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

escaped  the  disaster  which  subsequently  befell  it;  for,, 
being  for  the  most  part  excellent  shots  and  accustomed 
to  the  chase,  they  would  have  met  the  Boers  with  their 
own  tactics,  and  thus,  as  the  English  settlers  in  the  gar- 
risons in  the  Transvaal  showed  themselves  far  better 
fighters  than  their  Dutch  antagonists,  so  Natal,  where 
large  numbers  of  young  colonists  had  served  against  the 
Zulus,  Secoceni,  Moirosi,  and  in  other  native  troubles, 
could,  if  permitted,  have  furnished  a  contingent  which 
would  have  entirely  altered  the  complexion  of  the 
struggle. 

Upon  the  very  day  after  the  return  of  their  sons  Mr. 
Humphreys  and  his  friend  Jackson,  furious  at  the  two 
attacks  which  had  been  made  by  the  Boers  upon  the 
parties  accompanied  by  their  sons,  rode  into  Newcastle 
and  inscribed  their  names  in  the  list  of  those  willing  to 
serve  against  the  enemy.  They  also  offered  their  wagons 
and  cattle  to  the  authorities,  to  facilitate  the  advance  of 
the  British  troops. 

This  offer  was  at  once  accepted,  and  it  was  arranged 
that  on  the  26th  the  carts  still  on  the  farm  should  go 
down  to  Pieter-Maritzburg,  and  Mr.  Humphreys  wrote 
a  letter  to  Mr.  Harvey,  telling  him  that  he  was,  upon  his 
arrival,  after  clearing  the  wagons  of  the  goods  that  he 
had  brought  down  from  the  interior,  to  place  them  at 
once  at  the  disposal  of  the  authorities  for  the  transport 
of  military  stores  to  Newcastle.  Bill  Harrison  was  to  go 
down  with  the  carts,  and  to  be  in  charge  of  them  and 
the  wagons  on  their  upward  march. 

Christmas  was  held  with  great  festivity,  to  celebrate 
the  return  of  the  lads.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  and  Tom, 
and  four  or  five  young  settlers  in  neighboring  farms 
were  invited  by  Mr.  Humphreys  to  spend  the  day  with 
him.  At  his  request  they  came  early,  and  after  the 
service  of  the  church  had  been  read  by  him  the  day  was 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  22? 

spent  in  festivity.  The  young  men  rode  races  on  their 
horses,  shot  at  marks  for  prizes  of  useful  articles  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Humphreys,  and  at  five  o'clock  sat  down 
to  a  Christmas  dinner. 

The  holly,  the  misletoe,  and  above  all  the  roaring  fire 
-were  absent,  but  the  great  kitchen  was  decked  with 
boughs.  The  roast  beef,  plum-pudding,  and  mince-pies 
were  equal  to  the  best  at  home,  and  no  pains  were  spared 
io  recall  home  customs  on  the  occasion. 

At  one  o'clock  there  had  been  an  equally  good  dinner 
given  to  the  laborers  and  their  families  belonging  to  the 
farms  of  Mr.  Humphreys  and  his  guests,  and  in  the 
■evening  all  assembled  in  the  great  kitchen,  and  to  the 
tunes  of  a  violin,  played  by  one  of  the  young  colonists, 
a  merry  dance  was  kept  up  for  some  hours.  The  next 
morning  Harrison  started  with  the  remaining  wagon  and 
several  carts  for  Pieter-Maritzburg,  and  the  lads  were 
supposed  to  resume  regular  work  on  the  farms. 


228  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS, 


CHAPTEK    XIX. 

THE  GARRISONS  IN  THE  TRANSVAAL 

The  excitement  of  the  time,  was,  however,  too  great 
to  permit  the  lads  to  settle  down  quietly,  and  every  day 
they  rode  over  to  Newcastle  to  gather  the  latest  news. 
The  towns  which  held  out  in  the  Transvaal  were  Pre- 
toria, Potchefstroom,  Standerton,  Wackerstroom,  Ley- 
denberg,  Rustenberg,  and  Marabastadt.  At  Pretoria, 
the  capital,  Mr.  Edgert-on  and  Sergeant  Bradley  of  the. 
Ninety-fourth  Eegiment,  who  escaped  from  the  mas- 
sacre, brought  in  the  news,  and  on  the  following  day  the- 
authorities  proclaimed  martial  law.  Colonel  Bellairs,, 
C.B.,  was  commandant,  and  the  military  authorities  at 
once  decided  that  the  town  must  be  abandoned,  as,  with 
its  gardens  and  scattered  houses,  the  extent  was  too- 
large  to  be  defended.  A  military  camp  was  therefore 
formed  outside  the  town,  and  to  this  the  whole  of  the 
loyal  inhabitants  moved  out.  The  civilians  consisted 
of  nine  hundred  and  seventy-five  men,  six  hundred 
and  seventy-six  women,  seven  hundred  and  eighteen 
children,  thirteen  hundred  and  thirty-one  servants, 
and  natives — total,  thirty-seven  hundred.  In  addition 
to  these  were  the  British  troopy.  All  horses  were- 
at  once  taken  for  the  volunteers,  among  whom  most 
of  the  white  residents  were  numbered.  The  effective- 
fighting  force  was  about  one  thousand — made  up  of 
four  companies  of  the  second  battalion,  Twenty-first 
Pusiliers;  three  companies  of  the  Ninety-fourth;   one* 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  229 

^hundred  and  forty  mounted  volunteers,  known  as  the 
Pretoria  Horse;  one  hundred  mounted  volunteers, 
known  as  Norris'  Horse,  and  the  Pretoria  Rifles,  an  in- 
fantry volunteer  corps,  five  hundred  strong.  For  the 
reception  of  the  women  and  children  intrenchments 
were  thrown  up,  connecting  the  jail  and  Loretto  con: 
vent,  and  the  defense  of  this  point  was  intrusted  to  six 
'Companies  of  the  Pretoria  Rifles,  under  Major  Le 
Mesurier.  The  camp  was  distant  about  a  third  of  a 
mile  from  the  jail  and  convent,  and  the  approaches  were 
commanded  by  three  little  forts  erected  on  eminences 
around. 

Several  skirmishes  took  place  in  the  last  fortnight  in 
December,  but  the  first  sharp  engagement  occurred  on 
the  6th  of  January.  Colonel  Gildea  took  out  a  force  of 
twenty  officers,  four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  a  gun,  and 
fifteen  wagons  to  bring  in  some  forage  and  attack  a  Boer 
^position  at  Pienness  River,  about  twelve  miles  off. 
^Norris'  Horse  scouted  in  front,  and  the  Pretoria  Pio- 
neers were  detached  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  Boers. 
"The  Boers  were  easily  turned  out  of  their  position. 
Their  defense  was  feeble;  but  several  English  were 
killed,  owing  to  the  Boers  treacherouly  hoisting  a  flag  of 
truce,  upon  which  the  English  skirmishers,  who  were 
creeping  forward,  stood  up,  thinking  that  the  Boers 
surrendered;  they  then  fired,  and  several  of  our  men 
were  killed  or  wounded.  The  Boers  being  largely  rein- 
forced came  forward  to  the  attack,  but  were  smartly  re- 
pulsed. Our  loss  was  four  men  killed  and  one  officer 
(Captain  Sampson);  fourteen  men  were  wounded.  On  the 
15th  another  force  started  to  attack  a  Boer  laager,  but 
found  the  enemy  in  such,  strength  that  they  retired  with' 
-out  serious  fighting. 

On  the  12th  of  February  an  ineffective  attempt  was 
made  to  take  the  Red  Horse  Kraal,  seven  miles  from 


230  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

Pretoria,  on  the  road  toward  Kustenberg.  The  force 
consisted  of  twenty-two  officers  and  five  hundred  and 
thirty-three  men.  The  carabineers  under  Captain  Sanc- 
tuary advanced  and  attacked  a  large  stone  building,  one 
thousand  yards  from  the  kraal.  They  were  received  by 
a  very  heavy  fire  from  the  Boers,  who  advanced  in  such 
strength  that  Colonel  Gildea  thought  it  prudent  to  fall 
back.  This  movement,  covered  by  the  horse,  was 
effected,  the  infantry  taking  no  part  in  the  fight.  Cap- 
tain Sanctuary  and  eight  men  were  killed;  Colonel 
Gildea  and  eight  others  severely  wounded.  No  further 
sortie  was  made  during  the  continuance  of  the  war,  but 
the  Boers  did  not  venture  to  attack  the  British  position. 

The  town  of  Potchefstroom  stood  in  the  district  most 
thickly  inhabited  by  the  Boers.  On  the  14th  of  Decem- 
ber, when  it  was  reported  that  a  large  number  of  Boers 
were  approaching,  Colonel  Winsloe,  who  commanded,, 
sent  Captain  Falls  with  twenty  men  of  the  Twenty-first 
Fusiliers,  twenty-six  men  of  a  corps  commanded  by- 
Commandant  Raafr*,  and  sixteen  civilian  volunteers  to- 
hold  the  courthouse.  The  jail  was  garrisoned  by  twenty 
fusiliers,  and  the  fort  and  earthwork,  of  some  thirty 
yards  square,  situated  about  one  thousand  yards  from 
the  courthouse,  was  held  by  one  hundred  and  forty  men 
of  the  fusiliers  and  a  detachment  of  artillerymen,  with 
two  nine-pounders,  under  Major  Thornhill.  The  three 
posts  were  provisioned  as  well  as  circumstances  per- 
mitted. 

On  the  15th  five  hundred  mounted  Boers  entered  the 
town.  On  the  16th  fighting  began  in  earnest,  and  the.' 
firing  was  hot  on  both  sides.  A  very  heavy  fire  was  kept 
tip  on  the  prison  and  courthouse.  Half  an  hour  after  it 
commenced  Captain  Falls  was  killed.  For  the  next  sixty 
hours  the  firing  continued  night  and  day,  and  one  of 
the  little  garrison  was  killed  and  nine  wounded.     Dur- 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  %%% 

ing  the  night  the  Boers  broke  into  a  stable  close  to  the 
courthouse,  and  from  a  distance  of  eight  yards  a  heavy 
fire  was  kept  up.  During  this  time  Colonel  Winsloe  in 
the  fort  had  given  what  aid  he  could  to  the  garrison  of 
the  courthouse  by  shelling  the  building  from  which  the 
Dutch  were  firing  upon  it.  On  the  evening  of  the  17th 
he  signaled  to  the  garrison  to  retire  on  the  fort;  but, 
being  completely  surrounded,  they  were  unable  to  do 
this.  On  the  morning  of  the  18th  the  Boers  attempted 
to  set  fire  to  the  thatch  roof  of  the  courthouse;  and  as 
nothing  in  that  case  could  have  saved  the  garrison, 
Major  Clarke  and  Commandant  Baaff  agreed  to  surren- 
der on  the  terms  that  the  lives  of  all  those  in  the  court- 
house should  be  spared.  This  was  agreed  to;  but  two 
loyal  Boers,  who  had  been  captured  at  an  outpost,  were 
tried,  condemned  to  death,  and  shot.  On  the  21st  of 
December  the  garrison  of  the  prison,  falling  short  of 
provisions,  evacuated,  it,  and  succeeded  in  gaining  the 
fort  without  loss.  The  Boers  occupied  the  post,  but 
were  driven  out  by  the  shell-fire  from  the  fort.  Mr. 
Kelson,  the  magistrate,  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  town 
by  the  Boers,  and  kept  in  close  confinement.  Three  of 
his  sons  got  into  the  fort,  and  took  part  in  its  defense. 
Two  of  them,  on  a  dark  night,  on  the  19th  of  February, 
got  through  the  Boer  lines,  and  carried  dispatches  from 
Colonel  Winsloe  to  Newcastle,  arriving  there  on  the  5th 
of  March,  after  many  perils,  not  the  least  of  which  was 
swimming  the  Vaal  River  when  in  full  flood. 

In  the  meantime  the  attack  on  the  fort  itself  had  been 
uninterrupted.  The  very  first  evening  the  watercourse 
from  which  the  supply  of  water  to  the  camp  was  taken 
was  cut.  A  well  had  already  been  commenced  and  sunk 
to  a  depth  of  twenty  feet,  but  no  water  had  been  ob- 
tained. Fortunately  the  water-barrels  had  been  filled  an 
hour  or  two  before  the  supply  was  cut,  but  these  only 


%$2  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

contained  two  quarts  of  water  per  man.  The  weather 
"was  terribly  hot,  and  the  work  of  the  men  in  the  in- 
trenchments  was  very  severe. 

On  the  night  of  the  17th  Lieutenant  Lindsell,  with 
some  of  the  drivers  of  the  Eoyal  Artillery,  acting  as 
cavalry,  and  a  company  of  the  Twenty-first,  went  out  to 
fill  the  water-casks  from  a  stream  half  a  mile  away  from 
the  camp,  and  fortunately  succeeded  in  doing  so,  the 
Boers  not  being  on  the  lookout  in  that  direction.  This, 
gave  a  further  supply  of  two  quarts  per  man. 

The  work  of  sinking  the  well  had  been  continued 
without  intermission,  and  a  depth  of  thirty-six  feet  had 
been  attained,  but  still  no  water  was  met  with.  A  re- 
ward of  five  pounds  was  offered  to  the  first  party  who 
struck  water,  and  the  soldiers  off  duty  commenced  digging 
in  several  places.  At  last,  to  the  intense  relief  of  the  gar- 
rison, a  party  of  Eoyal  Artillerymen  found  water  at  a 
depth  of  nine  feet.  The  well  soon  filled,  and  yielded 
plenty  of  water  during  the  remainder  of  the  siege. 

A  desultory  fire  was  kept  up  until  the  1st  of  January,, 
when,  the  Boers  being  strongly  reinforced,  two  thousand 
men  surrounded  the  fort  at  a  distance  of  five  hundred 
yards,  and  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  it.  They  did  not, 
however,  venture  to  attack  the  little  garrison.  On  tho 
5th  they  occupied  the,  cemetery,  three  hundred  yardt* 
from  the  fort,  but  Lieutenant  Lindsell  with  a  party  of 
volunteers  went  out  by  moonlight  and  drove  them  out. 
The  Boers  then  commenced  making  trenches,  gradually 
approaching  the  fort;  but  on  the  22d  Lieutenant  Dal- 
rymple  Hay  went  out,  carried  the  position  from  which 
the  Boers  had  been  most  troublesome,  and  captured  four 
prisoners,  some  guns,  ammunition,  and  trenching-tools. 
From  that  time,  although  the  Boers  continued  to  throw 
up  trenches,  they  contented  themselves  with  a  desultory 
iire. 


TEE  TOUm  COLONISTS.  233 

The  siege  continued  for  three  months  and  five  days; 
at  the  end  of  that  time  the  whole  of  the  provisions 
■were  exhausted.  Fever,  dysentery,  and  scurvy  had 
broken  out,  and  many  of  the  garrison  had  died.  Out  of 
two  hundred  and  thirteen  men  eighty-three  had  been 
killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners.  In  fact  an  armis- 
tice between  the  armies  had  at  that  time  been  proclaimed, 
but  Cronje,  the  Boer  who  commanded  the  attack, 
treacherously  concealed  the  fact  from  the  garrison. 
When  only  three  days'  quarter-rations  remained  the 
garrison  surrendered  the  fort,  on  the  condition  that  they 
should  be  allowed  to  march  down  to  Natal. 

Messengers  had  reached  Cronje  nine  days  before  with 
news  of  the  armistice,  but  although  he  was  aware  of  this 
be  continued  the  siege  to  the  end,  the  firing  during  the 
last  week  being  heavier  than  at  any  time  during  the 
siege — on  two  days  alone  one  hundred  and  fifty  round 
shot  fell  on  the  fort.  The  Boers  were  afterward  obliged 
to  allow  that  the  surrender  of  the  fort  had  been  obtained 
by  treachery,  and  to  agree  to  the  garrison  being  rein- 
stated.       ' 

Standerton  is  the  first  town  of  any  size  on  the  main 
Toad  from  Natal  to  Pretoria,  and  is  situated  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  Vaal  River.  On  the  outbreak  of 
Hostilities  two  companies  of  the  Ninety-fourth  and  one  of 
the  Eighty-ninth  marched  from  Wackerstroom  to  this 
town,  and  Major  Montague  of  the  Ninety-fourth  Regi- 
ment arrived  from  Natal  to  take  the  command.  The 
total  strength  of  the  garrison  consisted  of  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  and  seventy  civilians.  The 
Landdrost,  J.  C.  Krogh,  remained  loyal  and  assisted  in 
the  defense,  three  forts  were  erected  on  eminences  round 
the  town,  two  outworks  and  many  breastworks  and  rifle- 
pits  were  dug,  houses  interfering  with  the  line  of  fire 
were  pulled  down,  and  other  buildings  in  suitable  posi- 


234  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

tions  were  barricaded  and  loopholed.  The  center  point 
of  defense  was  a  building  known  as  Fort  Alice,  eight 
hundred  yards  from  the  town,  and  a  military  camp  was 
formed  on  a  height  one  mile  and  a  quarter  from  this 
point.  Preparations  were  made  to  blow  up  some  of  the 
buildings,  should  the  Boers  carry  the  town,  mines  being 
dug  and  laid  to  the  fort.  A  good  store  of  provisions  was 
collected. 

On  the  29th  a  scout  on  a  hill  signaled  a  large  number 
of  Boers  were  approaching  Erasmus  Farm,  three  miles 
distant  from  Standerton.  Captain  Cassell,  with  sixteen 
mounted  volunteers,  went  out  to  reconnoiter.  Two  or 
three  scouts  were  thrown  out,  and  these  arrived  within 
six  hundred  yards  of  the  farm;  suddenly  a  number  of 
Boers  made  their  appearance,  and  Mr.  G.  B.  Hall,  one 
of  the  mounted  volunteers,  gallantly  tried  to  cross  their 
line  to  warn  his  comrades  of  the  coming  danger.  Gal- 
loping in  front  of  the  Boers,  his  horse  was  shot  under 
him;  taking  shelter  behind  it,  he  opened  fire  on  the 
enemy,  and  so  attracted  the  attention  of  his  party.  One 
man  could  not  long  resist  three  hundred,  and  Hall  was 
soon  killed.  The  alarm,  however,  had  been  given  in 
time,  and  the  mounted  men  fell  back  on  the  camp,  ex- 
changing shots  with  the  enemy.  The  Boers  now  took 
up  a  position  six  hundred  yards  from  the  camp,  and 
kept  up  a  heavy  fire.  Skirmishes  occurred  daily,  and 
the  enemy  harassing  the  garrison  from  a  height  called 
Standerton  Kop,  Major  Montague  caused  a  dummy-gun, 
mounted  on  two  wagon -wheels,  to  be  placed  in  the  in- 
trenchments;  the  sight  of  this  frightened  the  Boers  off 
Standerton  Kop. 

On  the  7th  of  January  a  Swazi,  named  Infofa,  who 
had  greatly  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery  in  the 
Secoceni  War,  but  was  now  undergoing  a  term  of  penal 
servitude  for  culpable  homicide,  performed  an  act  off 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  235 

singular  bravery.  The  Boers  had  during  the  night 
erected  a  pmall  earthwork  on  the  outside  of  the  "Vaal 
River;  fou?  hundred  yards  nearer  the  town  stood  a 
house,  anr3  fearing  that  this  might  be  occupied  by  the 
Dutch,  ?t  was  determined  to  destroy  it.  Infofa  with  a 
party  oi  Kaffirs  volunteered  for  the  duty;  he  crossed  the 
river  with  his  party,  and  the  Kaffirs  began  to  pull  down 
the  house.  Infofa,  however,  took  his  gun,  and  marched 
boldly  away  to  the  Boer  earthw'ork,  four  hundred  yards 
distant,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  lookers-on.  It  hap- 
pened that  q-'j  the  moment  no  Boers  were  present  in  the 
works,  and  the  man  reached  it  without  a  shot  being 
fired  at  him;  inside  he  found  some  tools,  and  with  these 
he  deliberately  set  to  work  and  leveled  the  breastwork; 
1  his  accomplished,  he  returned  to  the  party. 

Unt:i  the  end  of  the  war  the  Boers  were  unable  to 
make  any  impression  upon  Standerton,  and  whenever 
they  approached  too  closely  the  garrison  sallied  out  and 
drov  e  them  off. 

A  i  Leydenberg  fifty,  men  of  the  Ninety-fourth,  under 
Lieutenant  Long,  had  been  left,  when  the  four  com- 
panies under  Colonel  Anstruther  had  marched  away. 
T?ie  people  of  the  town,  when  the  news  of  the  rising 
arrived,  offered  to  defend  themselves  with  the  troops 
against  attacks;  but  Lieutenant  Long  declined  to  accept 
the  offer.  There  were  in  the  town  two  hundred  and 
twenty  women  and  children,  and  ouly  thirty-four  white 
men  who  could  be  relied  on;  there  were  no  defenses  and 
no  water  supply,  and  as  Lieutenant  Long  knew  that 
three  or  four  months  must  elapse  before  a  relieving 
force  could  arrive,  he  decided  that  it  would  only  cost 
the  townspeople  their  lives  and  property  were  they  to 
attempt  to  defend  the  place.  He  therefore  advised 
them  to  remain  neutral,  while  he  with  his  fifty  soldiers 
defended  the  fort.    This  they  did,  and  the  commandant 


236  THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

of  the  Boer  foree,  Piet  Steyn,  caused  their  property  to 
■"be  respected  when  he  entered  the  town  with  his  troops. 

For  three  months  Lieutenant  Long  defended  the  fort 
gallantly  against  all  attacks.  At  one  time  the  enemy- 
set  fire  to  the  thatch  roof  of  one  of  the  buildings,  but 
the  soldiers  succeeded  in  extinguishing  it,  although  the 
Boers  kept  up  a  heavy  fire;  during  the  night  the  defend- 
ers stripped  off  the  roofs  of  the  remaining  thatch  build- 
ings and  so  prevented  a  renewal  of  this  form  of  attack. 
The  Boers  cut  off  the  water-supply,  but  the  garrison 
sunk  wells,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  water  in  time. 
The  casualties  among  the  fifty  men  during  the  siege 
were  three  killed  and  nineteen  wounded.  At  the  end 
of  the  war  a  general  order  was  published,  conferring  the 
highest  praise  upon  Lieutenant  Long  and  his  little  gar- 
rison, for  the  bravery  and  endurance  which  they  had 
shown  in  maintaining  for  three  months  a  close  sieger 
and  this  without  any  hope  of  relief  or  succor.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  war  Lieutenant  Long  was  so  disgusted 
at  the  humiliating  terms  of  the  treaty,  and  the  sur- 
render to  the  Boers,  that  he  resigned  his  commission  in 
the  army. 

Marabadstadt,  though  called  a  village,  consists  oi  only 
seven  or  eight  houses.  Sixty  men  of  the  Ninety-fourth 
under  Captain  Brook  formed  the  garrison  which  was 
stationed  there  to  keep  order  after  the  Secoceni  War,  as 
no  less  than  five  hundred  thousand  natives  inhabit  the 
surrounding  district.  Fortunately  the  races  were  being 
held  at  the  time  when  the  news  of  the  massacre  of  the 
Ninety-fourth  arrived,  and  the  English  inhabitants  of  the 
neighborhood  who  were  present  at  once  responded  to  the 
call  of  Captain  Brook  to  aid  in  the  defense,  and  thirty 
white  men  and  fifty  half-castes  enrolled  themselves  as 
volunteers.  The  Boers  attacked  in  considerable  force, 
having  with  them  two  cannon;  but  the  fort  held  out 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  237 

until  the  end  of  the  war,  the  garrison  making  many 
sorties  when  the  Boers  brought  up  their  guns  too  close. 
At  Rustenberg  and  Wackerstroom  a  successful  defense 
was  also  maintained  throughout  the  war  by  the  British 
and  loyalists;  but  no  incidents  of  importance  marked 
the  siege  of  those  piaces. 


338  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS, 


CHAPTER   XX,' 

laing's  neck. 

On"  the  24th  of  January  General  Colley's  little  column, 
consisting  of  the  Fifty-eighth,  a  battalion  of  the  Six- 
tieth, a  small  naval  brigade,  one  hundred  and  seventy 
mounted  infantry,  and  six  guns,  moved  out  from  New- 
castle; they  took  with  them  an  amount  of  baggage-train 
altogether  out  of  proportion  to  their  force,  as  in  addition 
to  their  own  baggage  and  ammunition  they  were  taking 
up  a  considerable  amount  of  the  latter  for  the  use  of  the 
troops  besieged  in  the  various  towns  in  the  Transvaal. 

Mr.  Humphreys  and  Jackson  rode  over  to  Newcastle 
to  see  them  start,  and  the  lads  sat  chatting  to  them  on 
their  horses,  as  the  column  filed  by. 

"I  don't  like  the  look  of  things,  father,"  Dick  said, 
"and  if  you  had  seen  the  way  the  Boers  polished  off  the 
Ninety-fourth,  I  am  sure  you  wouldn't  like  it  either.  If 
we  are  attacked  by  them  the  troops  would  for  the  most 
part  be  wanted  to  guard  this  huge  baggage-train,  and  I 
am  sure,  from  what  I  have  seen  of  the  Boers,  the  only 
way  to  thrash  them  is  to  attack  them  quickly  and  sud- 
denly. If  you  let  them  attack  you,  you  are  done  for. 
Their  shooting  is  ten  times  as  good  as  that  of  the  troops; 
they  are  accustomed,  both  in  hunting  and  in  their 
native  wars,  to  depend  each  man  on  himself,  and  they 
would  hang  round  a  column  like  this,  pick  the  men  oft" 
at  long  distances,  and  fall  upon  them  in  hollows  and 
bushes;  while,  whenever  our  fellows  tried  to  take  the 


TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  239 

offensive,  they  would  mount  their  horses  and  ride  away, 
only  to  return  and  renew  the  attack  as  soon  as  the  troops 
fell  back  to  the  wagons.  Besides,  with  such  a  train  of 
wagons  we  can  only  crawl  along,  and  the  Boers  will  have 
time  to  fortify  every  position.  I  wonder,  at  any  rate, 
that  General  Colley  does  not  push  forward  in  light 
marching  order  and  drive  the  Boers  at  once  out  of  Natal, 
and  cross  the  river  into  the  Transvaal;  then  he  would 
have  a  flat,  open  country  before  him,  and  could  bring 
the  wagons  up  afterward." 

"What  you  say  seems  right  enough,  Dick,"  his  father 
answered;  "but  General  Colley  has  the  reputation  of 
being  an  excellent  officer." 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  he  is  an  excellent  officer,  father; 
but  he  has  had  no  experience  whatever  in  the  Boers' 
style  of  fighting;  he  knows  that  they  have  often  been  de- 
feated by  natives,  and  I  fancy  he  does  not  value  them 
highly  enough.  They  cannot  stand  a  quick,  sudden 
attack,  and  that's  how  the  natives  sometimes  defeat 
them,  but  at  their  own  game  of  shooting  from  behind 
rocks  I  believe  that  they  are  more  than  a  match  for 
regular  troops.  However,  we  shall  see.  As  I  am  not 
going  as  a  combatant  I  shall  be  able  to  look  on  quietly, 
and  fortunately  the  Boers  are  not  like  Zulus,  and  there 
is  no  fear  of  non-combatants  and  prisoners  being  mas- 
sacred. If  there  were,  I  tell  you  fairly,  father,  that  I 
would  cry  off,  and  let  the  wagons  go  without  me,  for  I  do 
believe  that  things  will  not  turn  out  well," 

"Well,  I  hope  you  are  wrong,  Dick.  But  you  have 
seen  so  much  fighting  in  this  country  during  the  last 
two  years  that  your  opinion  is  certainly  worth  some- 
thing. However,  there  is  one  satisfaction,  there  are  a 
number  of  troops  now  landing  at  Durban  and  on  the 
march  up;  so  that  if  this  little  force  does  get  a  check, 
it  will  soon  be  retrieved.    Now,  good-by,  lad;  mind,  if 


240  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

there  is  an  attack  on  the  wagons,  take  as  little  part  in  it 
as  you  can,  arid  stick  to  the  position  of  non-combatants. 
If  they  would  have  had  us  as  volunteers,  we  would  have 
done  our  best;  but  as  they  have  declined  to  accept  the 
offer  of  the  colonists,  let  them  fight  it  out  their  own 
way.  If  they  get  beaten  and  the  Boers  swarm  into 
Natal,  as  in  that  case  they  certainly  will  do,  the  colo- 
nists will  take  the  matter  in  hand  by  themselves,  and  if 
we  don't  send  the  Dutchmen  packing  back  faster  than 
they  come,  I  am  a  Dutchman  myself." 

Had  Sir  George  Colley  pushed  on  rapidly  with  his 
column,  he  would  have  passed  all  the  points  at  which  the 
Boers  could  have  taken  up  strong  defensive  positions 
before  they  could  gather  in  force  to  oppose  him,  as  he 
had  the  choice  of  three  or  four  different  lines  of  advance, 
and  until  the  one  by  which  he  would  travel  was  known 
the  Boer. army  was  forced  to  remain  inactive,  awaiting  his 
disposition.  As  soon,  however,  as  he  had  left  Newcastle, 
and  it  was  known  by  them  that  he  had  started  along  the 
line  of  road  to  ibe  west  of  Newcastle,  they  moved  their 
whole  force  to  oppose  him,  and  took  post  on  a  position 
known  as  Laing's  Neck,  at  a  spot  where  the  road  had  to 
cross  over  a  steep  and  difficult  ridge.  Here  they  set  to 
work  to  throw  up  intrenchments,  and  the  leisurely,  and 
indeed  dilatory,  advance  of  the  British  gave  them  ample- 
time  for  this.  Although  the  distance  from  Newcastle 
to  Laing's  Neck  was  but  twenty-five  miles,  and  the 
column,  unimpeded  by  baggage,  could  by  a  forced  march 
have  seized  the  position  on  the  very  day  of  their  leaving 
Newcastle,  and  long  before  the  Boers  could  have  moved 
their  army  to  reinforce  the  little  body  who  occupied  the 
position  as  corps  of  observation,  no  less  than  six  days 
elapsed  before  Sir  George  Oolley's  force  arrived  before 
T.)aing's  Neck. 

This  time  was  spent  in  frequent  halts,  in  improving 


T3E  YOUNG  C0L0M8T8.  241. 

the  roads,  bridging  the  streams,  and  other  similar  opera- 
tions, all  useful  enough  in  their  way,  but  fatal  to  the 
success  of  a  flying  column,  whose  object  was  to  strike  a 
sudden  blow  at  the  enemy,  and  to  secure  the  road  and 
passes  as  far  as  the  frontier,  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
march  of  the  main  column  of  invasion,  which  was  on  its 
way  up  from  the  coast.  Dick  and  Tom  chafed  under  the 
long  delays,  and  twice  rode  home  and  spent  a  day  with 
their  parents. 

At  last,  however,  the  column  was  in  front  of  the 
enemy's  position.  The  Boers,  who  were  some  three 
thousand  strong,  held  a  strong  position  on  the  line  of  the 
crest  of  the  ridge  with  breastworks  thrown  up  in  front. 
The  total  force  of  Sir  George  Colley  consisted  of  but 
eight  hundred  and  seventy  infantry,  together  with  the 
mounted  men  and  guns;  and  to  attack  such  a -position, 
with  a  chance  of  success,  every  man  should  have  been 
sent  against  the  intrenchments.  General  Colley,  how- 
ever, seems  at  the  last  moment  to  have  been  alarmed  for 
the  safety  of  his  baggage,  which  was  menaced  by  parties 
of  Boers  on  his  left  flank.  He  therefore  prepared  to 
attack  with  only  .five  companies  of  the  Fifty-eighth — > 
that  is,  but  little  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
keeping  the  whole  'of  the  rest  of  the  infantry  in  reserve, 
but  ordering  the  mounted  infantry  to  assist  in  the  attack 
— a  service  which  upon  such  ground  they  were  alto- 
gether unfitted  to  perform.  The  result  of  such  an  arrange- 
ment as  this  was  inevitable.  Tom  and  Dick  could 
scarcely  believe  their  eyes  when  they  saw  this  handful  of 
men  advancing  up  the  steep  hill,  at  whose  summit  was  a 
force  more  than  ten  times  as  numerous,  and  composed 
of  some  of  the  finest  marksmen  \ri  the  world.  The  six 
English  guns  opened  fire  to  cover  the  advance,  and  the 
fifty-eighth  went  gallantly  up  the  hill.  As  soon  as  they 
approached  the  crest  a  tremendous  fire  of  musketry  was 


242  THS  TOTING  COLONISTS. 

opened  upon  them  by  the  Boers  lying  behind  the  in- 
trenchments.  The  men  were  literally  swept  away  by 
the  fire.  Gallantly  led  by  their  officers,  they  pressed 
forward  until  within  a  few  yards  of  the  breastworks; 
then  the  Boers  leaped  to  their  feet,  sprang  over  the 
works,  and  fell  upon  them.  Colonel  Deane,  Major 
Poole,  Lieutenant  Elwes,  and  Lieutenant  Bailey  were 
killed,  and  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  eighty  of  the 
little  force  were  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners. 
Few  even  of  the  survivors  would  have  escaped  had  not 
the  mounted  infantry,  who  had  ascended  the  spur  at  a 
point  further  to  the  right,  made  a  gallant  charge  along 
the  crest  of  the  hill  and  checked  the  pursuit.  The 
main  body  of  the  British  advanced  a  short  distance  to 
make  a  demonstration,  and  prevent  the  Boers  from  fol- 
lowing up  their  success.  The  whole  column  then  fell 
back  four  miles,  to  the  ground  which  they  had  occupied 
the  night  before.  The  gallantry  displayed  by  the  Fifty- 
eighth  and  mounted  infantry  was  the  sole  redeeming 
feature  in  the  discreditable  affair  of  Laing's  Neck,  where 
defeat  had  been  rendered  almost  certain  by  the  previous 
hesitation  and  delays,  and  was  insured  by  the  folly  of 
sending  a  mere  handful  of  men  to  attack  such  a  posi- 
tion. As  the  British  fell  back  the  Boers  advanced, 
and  at  nightfall  placed  themselves  on  the  road  between 
the  camp  and  Newcastle,  entirely  cutting  the  force  off 
from  its  base,  and  threatening  both  them  and  the  town 
of  Newcastle. 

Several  days  passed,  the  attitude  of  the  Boers  became 
more  and  more  threatening,  and  General  Colley  deter- 
mined at  all  hazards  to  open  the  way  back  to  Newcastle. 
On  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  February  he  naoved  out 
with  five  companies  of  the  Sixtieth  Eifles,  two  field  and 
two  mountain  guns,  and  a  detachment  of  mounted  in- 
fantry; Dick  and  Tom  obtained  leave  to  ride  back  with 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  243 

the  mounted  detachment.  At  a  commanding  post  near 
the  Eiver  Ingogo  Sir  George  Colley  left  two  mountain 
guns  and  a  company  of  Eifles  as  a  garrison,  and  moved 
forward  with  the  rest  of  the  column.  The  Eiver  Ingogo 
runs  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  ravine.  Crossing  this 
the  English  force  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  opposite 
crest,  but  they  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  further 
when  they  were  attacked  on  all  sides  by  the  Boers. 
The  troops  were  ordered  at  once  to  take  shelter  among 
the  bowlders  and  bushes,  while  the  two  guns  from  the  top 
of  the  eminence  opened  fire  with  shell  upon  the  enemy. 

Dick  and  Tom  sought  shelter  with  the  rest,  making 
their  horses  lie  down  beside  them,  and  were  soon  as 
hotly  engaged  as  the  Eifles  around  them  in  answering 
the  heavy  fire  of  the  Boers.  The  fight  began  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  raged  without  intermission  for  six  hours; 
sometimes  the  Boers  attacked  on  one  side  of  the  posi- 
tion, sometimes  upon  another.  The  ground  was  broken 
and  thickly  strewn  with  bowlders  and  bushes,  and  fa- 
vored by  these  the  Boers  crept  up  sometimes  close  to  the 
position  held  by  the  English.  So  accurate  was  their 
shooting  that  none  of  the  defenders  could  show  his  head 
above  shelter  for  a  moment,  and  it  was  as  much  as  they 
could  do  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  carrying  the  posi- 
tion at  a  rush.  The  Sixtieth  fought  with  the  greatest 
coolness  and  steadiness,  and,  numerous  as  were  the 
enemy,  they  could  not  muster  up  courage  for  the  rush 
which  would  have  assuredly  overwhelmed  the  little  party 
that  they  were  attacking.  The  two  English  guns  could 
render  but  small  service,  the  men  being  shot  down  as 
fast  as  they  stood  up  to  load,  and  every  officer,  driver, 
gunner,  and  horse  was  killed  or  wounded  within  half  an 
hour  after  the  action  commenced.  So  incessant  indeed 
was  the  rain  of  balls  that  the  guns  after  the  action  were 
spotted  with  bullet-marks  so  thickly  that  it  would  have 


UA  TBE  YOVm  COLOmSTS. 

b&en  difficult  to  place  the  tip  of  the  finger  upon  a  place 
unstruck  by  a  ball. 

When  darkness  put  a  stop  to  the  fight  one  hundred 
and  sixty  men — more  than  two-thirds  of  the  force — were 
killed  or  wounded.  Among  the  former  were  Captain 
MacGregor  of  the  staff,  Captain  Green  of  the  Eoyal  Artil- 
lery, and  Lieutenants  Green  and  O'Connell  of  the  Six- 
tieth; while  Lieutenants  Pixney,  Parsons,  Twistlewaite 
and  Haworth,  all  of  the  Sixtieth,  were  wounded.  Had 
the  Boers  taken  advantage  of  the  cover  of  darkness  to 
steal  forward,  they  must  have  annihilated  the  little  force; 
but  they  believed  that  they  had  them  in  their  power,  for 
the  rain  had  fallen  heavily,  the  Ingogo  had  risen,  and 
was,  they  thought,  unfordable.  General  Colley  ascer- 
tained, however,  that  it  was  still  possible  to  cross,  and 
with  the  greatest  silence  the  survivors  moved  off  from 
their  position,  the  storm  helping  to  conceal  the  move- 
ment from  the  Boers.  Very  quietly  they  moved  down 
to  the  steam,  and  with  the  greatest  difficulty  succeeded 
in  crossing;  then  picking  up  on  their  way  the  company 
and  guns  which  had  been  left  on  the  eminence  beyond, 
the  column  reached  camp  in  safety. 

In  the  meantime  reinforcements  had  been  pushing 
forward  from  the  sea  as  fast  as  possible,  and  on  the 
17th  the  column  under  Sir  Evelyn  Wood  arrived 
at  Newcastle,  to  the  great  joy  of  its  inhabitants.  For 
days  an  attack  by  the  Boers  had  been  expected,  in- 
trenchments  had  been  thrown  up  round  the  great  con- 
voy which  had  been  collected  to  advance  with  the  force 
and  all  the  inhabitants  who  could  bear  arms,  and  many 
settlers  from  the  surrounding  country,  had  come  in  to 
aid  in  the  defense,  should  the  Boers  attack  it. 

The  arrival  of  the  relieving  column  insured  the  safety 
of  the  town,  and  the  Boers  between  Newcastle  and  Gen- 
eral Colley's  little  camp  at  once  fell  back  to  their  old 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  245 

position  on  Laing's  Neck,  leaving  the  road  open.  Gen- 
eral Colley  and  his  staff  rode  in  from  Prospect  Hill,  the 
name  of  the  camp,  and  had  a  consultation  with  General 
Wood.  The  Ninety-second  Eegiment  marched  out  and 
reinforced  General  Colley's  column. 

The  Boers'  position  at  Laing's  Neck  was  commanded 
by  a  lofty  and  ragged  mountain,  called  Majuba  Hill,  on 
its  right,  and  the  occupation  of  this  hill  by  the  British 
would  render  the  position  untenable.  It  would  have 
been  an  admirable  military  movement  to  seize  this  hill 
when  the  whole  force  was  collected  at  the  camp  in  readi- 
ness to  advance,  as,  with  their  flank  turned  and  a  force 
advancing  for  a  direct  attack,  the  Boers  must  at  once 
have  retreated,  but  General  Colley  most  unfortunately 
desired  to  retrieve  the  two  defeats  he  had  suffered,  by 
compelling  the  Boers  to  fall  back,  before  the  arrival  on 
the  scene  of  Sir  Evelyn  Wood  with  the  main  body.  He 
believed,  no  doubt,  and  with  reason,  that  Majuba  Hill 
once  captured  would  be  impregnable  against  any  attack 
which  might  be  made  against  it. 

Accordingly,  on  the  night  of  the  26th,  with  twenty 
officers  and  six  hundred  and  twenty-seven  men  drawn 
from  the  Fifty-eighth,  Sixtieth,  Ninety-second,  and  naval 
brigade,  he  started  from  the  camp  with  the  intention  of 
seizing  the  hill.  The  night  was  a  dark  one,  and  the 
march  across  the  unknown  country  difficult  in  the  ex- 
treme. The  intervening  ground  was  cut  up  by  steep 
valleys  and  rapid  ascents,  and  for  hours  the  troops  strug- 
gled up  and  down  these  places,  many  of  which  would 
have  been  difficult  to  climb  by  daylight.  At  last,  after 
immense  labor,  the  force  reached  the  foot  of  Majuba 
Hill,  having  taken  six  hours  in  accomplishing  a  distance 
which,  as  the  crow  flies,  is  little  more  than  four  miles. 
At  a  commanding  point  near  the  foot  of  the  hill  two 
hundred  men  were  left,  to  keep  open  the  communica- 


246  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

tion;  the  main  body  kept  on  until  they  reached  the  sum- 
mit, just  before  daylight,  the  Boers  being  entirely  in 
ignorance  of  the  movement  which  had  taken  place.  The 
position  was  of  immense  natural  strength,  as  it  was  only 
at  a  few  points  that  an  ascent  could  be  made.  On  the 
summit  was  a  plateau,  so  that  all  the  troops  not  actually 
engaged  in  repelling  assaults  could  lie  down  perfectly 
secure  from  the  fire  from  below.  At  sunrise  the  Boers 
"Z'Sl'l  -J  seen  moving  about  in  their  lines.  Ai  *«#& 
laterality  of  mounted  vedettes  were  seen  trotting  out 
toward  the  hill,  which  during  the  day  they  used  as  a 
post  of  observation;  as  they  approached  the  outlying 
pickets  fired  upon  them.  As  the  sound  of  the  guns  was 
heard  by  the  Boers  below,  a  scene  of  the  greatest  confu- 
sion and  excitement  was  observed  from  the  height  to 
prevail.  Swarms  of  men  were  seen  rushing  hither  and 
thither;  some  to  their  arms,  some  to  their  horses,  others 
to  their  wagons,  to  which  the  oxen  were  at  once  har- 
nessed, ready  for  a  retreat  in  case  of  necessity.  Then  a 
great  portion  of  the  Boers  moved  forward  toward  the 
hill,  with  the  evident  intention  of  attacking  it. 

At  seven  o'clock  the  enemy  opened  fire,  and  the  bullets 
whistled  up  thickly  round  the  edge  of  the. plateau.  The 
main  body  of  the  troops  remained  in  the  center  of  the 
plateau,  out  of  fire,  small  bodies  being  posted  near  the 
edge  to  answer  the  fire  of  the  Boers  and  prevent  their 
approaching  the  accessible  points.  For  five  hours  the 
musketry  duel  continued.  So  far  its  effect  had  been 
trifling,  a  few  men  only  being  wounded.  The  position 
appeared  perfectly  safe.  The  Boers  were  indeed 
between  the  garrison  of  the  hill  and  the  camp,  but  the 
former  had  three  days'  provisions  with  them,  and  could 
therefore  hold  out  until  Sir  Evelyn  Wood  arrived  with 
the  main  body  for  a  direct  attack  upon  the  Boers'  posi- 
tion. 


THE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  247 

Between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  the  Boers'  fire  slack- 
ened, and  the  besieged  force  thought  that  their  assail- 
ants were  drawing  off;  this,  however,  was  net  the  case. 
Under  cover  of  the  shrubs  and  rocks  the  Boers  were 
creeping  quietly  up,  and  at  one  o'clock  a  terrific  fire 
suddenly  broke  out,  and  the  enemy  in  great  numbers 
rushed  up  the  short  intervening  distance  between  them- 
selves and  the  scanty  line  of  defenders  on  the  edge  of 
the  plateau;  these,  seized  by  panic,  at  once  fled,  and 
the  exulting  Boers  poured  up  on  to  the  plateau  and 
opened  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  troops. 

The  scene  which  ensued  was  one  of  the  most  dis- 
creditable in  the  annals  of  the  British  army.  Although 
armed  with  breech-loaders,  and  fully  as  numerous  as  the 
assailants  who  had  gained  the  crest  of  the  kill,  the  re- 
sistance offered  was  feeble  in  the  extreme;  had  the 
troops  charged  the  Boers,  the  advantages  of  discipline 
and  of  their  vastly  superior  weapons  would  have  been 
irresistible,  and  they  could  have  cleared  the  plateau  as 
speedily  as  it  had  been  occupied.  The  great  majority, 
however,  were  seized  with  a  wild  panic,  and,  in  spite  of 
the  efforts  of  the  officers,  thought  of  nothing  but  seek- 
ing safety  in  flight.  A  few  stood  and  fired,  but  how 
few  these  were  can  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  only  oue 
Boer  was  killed,  one  severely  wounded,  and  four  slightly 
so;  while  half  the  British  force  were  killed,  wounded,  or 
taken  prisoners,  the  remainder  managing  to  escape  down 
the  sides  of  the  hill,  and  to  join  the  force  left  at  its  foot, 
or  to  hide  in  the  bushes  until  night.  Among  the  killed 
were  General  Colley,  Captain  the  Honorable  C.  Maude, 
Surgeon-Major  H.  Cornish, Surgeon  A.  Landon,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Trower  of  the  naval  brigade;  eight  officers  were 
killed,  and  seven  taken  prisoners;  eighty-six  men  were 
killed,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  wounded,  fifty-one 
taken  prisoners,  and  two  missing.     The  fight,  such  as  it 


248  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

was,  lasted  five  minutes.  The  force  which  had  been  left 
at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  under  Captain  Eobertson,  was 
also  attacked;  but,  being  admirably  led  by  that  officer, 
fought  its  way  back  to  the  camp  with  but  small  loss,  the 
guns  there  assisting  to  cover  its  retreat. 

The  boys  had  not  accompanied  the  expedition,  and 
from  the  camp  had  watched  the  line  of  smoke  round  the 
hill,  and  had  joined  in  the  laughter  of  the  officers  at  the 
idea  of  the  Boers  attacking  so  tremendously  strong  a 
position.  Intense  was  the  astonishment  in  camp  when  a 
wreath  of  smoke  suddenly  rose  from  the  summit,  and 
when  this  cleared  away,  and  all  was  quiet,  and  it  became 
evident  that  the  Boers  had  carried  the  position,  it  was 
difficult  to  say  whether  the  feeling  of  dismay  or  humilia- 
tion most  prevailed. 

With  the  defeat  of  Majuba  Hill  the  war  in  the  Trans- 
vaal virtually  terminated.  When  the  news  reached  Eng- 
land the  government  declared  that  the  honor  of  the 
British  flag  should  be  vindicated,  and  great  numbers  of 
troops  were  sent  out  to  Natal;  these  marched  up  the 
country,  and  were  in  readiness  to  assault  the  Boers'  posi- 
tion, when  the  English  government  suddenly  gave  way, 
and  granted  to  the  Boers  all  that  they  demanded,  the 
sole  provision  insisted  upon  being  a  purely  nominal  sov- 
ereignty on  the  part  of  the  queen,  and  an  equally  nom- 
inal protection  for  the  natives — a  clause  in  the  treaty 
which,  from  that  time  to  this,  no  attempt  whatever  has 
been  made  to  enforce.  Not  only  were  the  natives  prac- 
tically abandoned  to  the  mercy  of  the  Boers,  to  be  shot 
down  or  enslaved  at  their  will,  as  in  former  times,  but 
the  English  settlers,  who  had  for  months  made  such  a 
noble  defense  in  every  town  in  the  Transvaal,  were  aban' 
doned,  and  the  greater  portion  of  them,  ruined  and 
plundered,  have  long  since  left  the  country  where,  rely- 
ing upon  the  empty  promises  and  vain  guarantee  of  Eng- 


8  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS.  249 

land,  they  had  embarked  their  fortunes.  A  more  dis- 
graceful and  humiliating  chapter  in  English  history  than 
the  war  in  the  Transvaal,  and  the  treaty  which  con- 
cluded it,  is  not  to  be  found. 

After  the  battle  of  Majuba  Hill  Dick  and  Tom  re- 
turned to  their  farms,  resolved  to  have  nothing  further 
to  do  with  the  business;  there  they  have  remained 
steadily  since  that  time.  Mr.  Humphreys'  plantation  of 
trees  now  covers  a  great  extent  of  ground,  and  promises 
fully  to  answer  his  expectations  of  eventual  profit. 
Those  first  planted  are  attaining  large  size,  and  the 
thinning  brings  in  a  considerable  annual  income.  His 
wagons  are  fully  employed  in  taking  down  fruit  to 
Pieter-Maritzburg.  In  another  ten  years  Mr.  Hum- 
phreys expects  that  he  will  be  a  very  wealthy  man;  he  is 
thinking  next  year  of  paying  a  visit,  with  his  wife  and 
two  sons,  to  England,  where  John  will  be  left  to  finish 
his  education  and  pass  through  college,  with  a  view  of 
eventually  entering  the  Church.  Dick  is  quite  con- 
tented with  his  life;  he  has  taken  no  further  part  in 
trading  expeditions  into  the  interior,  although  the  profit 
realized  in  the  venture  under  Mr.  Harvey  was  considera- 
ble, but  there  is  plenty  of  work  on  the  farm  to  occupy 
his  time.  A  large  number  of  natives  are  employed  in 
planting  operations,  and  since  the  first  year  Mr.  Hum- 
phreys has  raised  all  his  own  trees  from  seeds.  The 
breeding  of  cattle  and  horses  has  been  abandoned,  only 
a  small  herd  and  a  flock  of  sheep  being  kept  for  home 
requirements,  as  it  is  found  that  the  ever-increasing 
plantation  and  the  great  orchards  of  fruit-trees  are  quite 
sufficient  to  occupy  their  attention. 

Mr.  Jackson,  too,  is  prospering  greatly;  influenced  by 
the  example  of  his  neighbor,  he  too  has  gone  in  for 
planting,  although  on  a  much  smaller  scale  than  Mr. 
Humphreys,  bis  means  being  insufficient  to  carry  out 


250  TEE  YOUNG  COLONISTS. 

such  extensive  operations.  Tom  and  Dick  are  as  great 
friends  as  ever,  and  when  they  can  be  sparGd  often  go 
out  together  on  a  deer-hunting  expedition.  Tom  is  en- 
gaged to  the  daughter  of  a  trader  in  Newcastle;  Dick, 
laughing,  says  that  he  shall  look  out  for  a  wife  when  he 
gets  to  England.  The  prospects  would  be  altogether 
bright  for  the  emigrants  from  Derbyshire,  were  it  not 
for  the  trouble  which  the  weakness  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment, in  sending  back  Oetewayo  to  Zululand,  brought 
about,  and  from  the  increasingly  bad  feeling  growing  up 
between  the  Boers  and  the  natives,  owing  to  the  constant 
aggressions  of  the  latter,  and  their  ill-treatment  of  the 
natives,  in  defiance  of  the  agreements  in  the  treaty  with 
the  British  government.  If  the  day  should  come  when 
the  natives  at  last  rise  and  avenge  upon  the  Boers  the 
accumulated  injuries  of  many  years,  neither  Dick  Hum- 
phreys nor  Tom  Jackson  will  be  inclined  to  lift  a  hand 
to  save  the  Boers  from  their  well-merited  fate.  The 
example  of  the  successful  resistance  offered  by  the 
Basutos  to  the  whole  power  of  the  Cape  government  has 
had  an  immense  effect  among  the  native  tribes-of  South 
Africa,  and  sooner  or  later  the  colonists  there  will  have 
a  very  serious  crisis  to  pass  through.  Dick  hopes  that 
this  crisis  will  not  occur  in  his  time,  for  Mr.  Humphreys 
intends  in  another  fifteen  years,  if  he  live  so  long, 
when  his  first-planted  trees  will  have  gained  maturity, 
to  divide  his  great  forest  into  lots,  to  sell  off,  and  to  re- 
turn to  his  native  land.  Dick  quite  agrees  in  the  plan, 
and  hopes  some  day  to  be  settled  with  an  abundant  com- 
petency in  Old  England. 


THE  ERD. 


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7>ream  &00R.  and  Toticy  Tlayerf  Guide 

This  book  contains  an  alphabetical  listof  dreams, 
with  their  significations  and  lucky  numbers,  and 
the  getting  of  fortunes  by  the  Mystic  Circle,  Cards 
Dice,  Coffee  and  Tea  Grounds,  etc..  Also  a  list  of 
curious  superstitions  and  omens,  birthdeys,  lucky 
days,  their  significance  and  their  numbers.  It  is 
unquestionably  the  best  and  most  reliable  book  of 
its  kind  published  and  is  .worth  many  times  the 
price  asked  for  it. 
Paper  covers,  25«ents;  Cloth,  50  cents. 


For  sale  by  all  book  and  newsdealers  or  sent  postpaid  to  any 
address  in  the  United  States,  Canada  or  Mexico  upon  receipt  or 
price  in  currency,  postal  or  express  money  order. 

M.  A.  2>OJY OHJSB  /SL  CO. 

4-07-4-29  "Dearborn  Street,  CHICAGO 


"HARKAWAY"  series 


-OF  BOOKS  FOR  BOYS* 


By     BRACEBR.IDGE     HEMYNC 


"Jack  Harkaway's  School  Days"  is 
one  of  the  most  fascinating  and  in- 
structive books  for  boys  published, 
and  should  be  read  by  every  boy  be- 
fore his  15th  year.  After  reading 
this  book  the  other  14  should  be  read 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  given 
since  each  is  a  continuation  of  the 
one  preceding. 


*•    *• 


They  are  uniformly  bound  in  linen 
cloth,  stamped  with  original  desiens, 
in  inks,  on  backs  and  sides. 


PRICE  PER  VOLUME,   ?5  CENTS 

"No  more  readable  books  for  the  young  have  ever  been 
printed  than  these  fifteen  volumes."— Book  and  Newsdealer. 


Jack  Harkaway's  School 

Days 
Jack    Harkaway    After 

School  Days 
Jack    Harkaway     Afloat 

and  Ashore 
Jack  Harkaway  at  Oxford, 

Part  1 
Jack  Harkaway  at  Oxford, 

Part  2 
Jack    Harkaway    Among 

the  Brigands,  Part  1 
Jack    Harkaway   Among 

the  Brigands,  Fart  2 
Jack  Harkaway's  Adven- 
tures Around  the  World 


9    Jack  Harkaway  in  Amer- 
ica and  Cuba 

10  Jack  Harkaway's  Adven- 

tures in  China 

11  Jack  Harkaway's  Adven- 

tures in  Greece,  Part  1 

12  Jack  Harkaway's  Adven- 

tures in  Greece,  Pact  2 

13  Jack  Harkaway's  Adven- 

tures in  Australia 

14  Jack  Harkaway  and  His 

iioy  Tinker,  Part  1 

15  Jack  Harkaway  and  His 

Boy  Tinker,  Part  2 


For  sale  by  all  book  and  newsdealers  or  will  be  sent  postpaid 
upon  receipt  of  price,  in  currency,  money  order  or  stamps,  to  any 
address  in  the  United  States,  Canada  or  Mexico. 


M.  A.  DONOHUE  &  CO.  40™&£?&*  *• 


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